Last year, a record number of nearly 170,000 workers resigned from their positions in the NHS in England, as they struggled to cope with the immense pressures experienced within the country’s healthcare system, according to The Observer.
Among those who left their jobs in NHS hospitals and community health services, more than 41,000 were nurses, resulting in the highest departure rate in at least a decade. In 2022, the overall number of staff resignations increased by over a quarter compared to 2019.
The analysis of NHS in England workforce statistics, examining those who left active service since 2010, highlights the magnitude of the challenge faced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. On Friday, he unveiled a new workforce plan aimed at training and retaining more staff.
Sir Julian Hartley, the chief executive of NHS Providers, expressed concern over the data on staff departures and emphasized the need to reverse this trend. He stressed the importance of prioritizing staff well-being and providing continued professional development to demonstrate genuine care for frontline teams.
Hartley welcomed the workforce plan, especially its focus on expanding apprenticeship routes for clinical staff and the goal of training more personnel while reducing reliance on international recruitment and agency workers.
Between January and December 2022, a total of 169,512 individuals left NHS service in hospitals, community health services, and other core health organizations, compared to 149,678 the previous year. These figures encompass all staff categories, including doctors, nurses, ambulance personnel, managers, support workers, and technical staff.
Experts believe that 2022 may have witnessed a peak in NHS departures due to some employees potentially deferring retirement because of the pandemic. However, there has also been a surge in employees citing work-life balance as a reason for resigning.