According to a recent analysis, the NHS in England could face a shortfall of nearly 40,000 nurses in the upcoming two years.

Although the overall number of nursing staff is on the rise, estimates leave no doubt as to the probable shortage of 38,000 nurses by the year 2023 or 2024. 

As the Evening Standard reports, the estimates are based on the number of staff required to deliver care to patients in the health service in England at “pre-pandemic levels”.

According to Health Foundation, “shortfalls will vary in different parts of the country and across different medical specialities.”

The areas where the shortages are expected to be the most considerable are nurses working in learning disability, mental health services, as well as in GP practices.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman told the Evening Standard “there are over 9,600 more nurses in the NHS compared to last year, and we are well over halfway towards meeting our commitment to recruiting 50,000 more nurses by 2024, which will significantly increase nursing capacity across the NHS.”

The latter proposition is welcomed with scepticism by numerous health professionals, who consider it à “quick fix” rather than a genuine long-term solution that would retain additional nurses in the UK.

In 2021 alone, almost 20,000 nurses left the NHS register in England.

Image: Twitter @NHSEngland

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen