Nurse staffing levels are heading for a perfect storm- RCN Bulletin, Nov. 2016

Written by: Mavic

I have just finished reading the November issue of the RCN bulletin. This issue covers a critical report on the data analysed by RCN for its annual labour market review which focuses on the growing retention crisis because of the falling standard of living for many nurses and the ageing workforce. Here, I quote the most significant finding on the increasing number of overseas nurses coming to the UK. "There are now more overseas nurses than there have been since 2004-5 and they make up 40% of the total new entrants to the Nursing and Midwifery Council register. As the majority were from the European Economic Area, this supply could be put at risk when the UK leaves the EU."

The nursing shortage in the UK is a growing problem. If this trend is to continue, we are looking at a future disaster in healthcare. Capping agency rate did not help to tackle this issue as more and more nurses are drawn to leave the profession because their salary is not enough to cover the bills any more. Agency nurses help fill in the dangerous gap in staffing level and serve as the rescuers in many hospitals in providing and maintaining high standard of nursing care to patients.  They are not the reason for overspending in the NHS. The hope that the capped rate for agency nurses would force them back into the NHS has not worked. Many nurses never want to return to the NHS because of dangerous staffing levels and the issue with inadequate pay. The retention of nursing workforce must be the priority of the NHS leaders to avoid the looming crisis from getting worst.