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NHS staff shortages

The NHS is one of the world's largest employers. As of July 2023, 142,930 doctors and 373,389 nursing staff (including health visitors) were in the NHS, out of a total workforce of 1.45 million. The NHS spends roughly 45 percent of its revenue expenditure on staff. However, total cost of staff has increased significantly over the years, reaching over 66.2 billion British Pounds. Despite this, the NHS faces challenges in retaining and recruiting staff. Even the public sees a lack of staff as one of the main problems facing the NHS.

Key figures of the NHS staff shortage

In the financial 2020/2021, the NHS doctor workforce revealed that nearly 20 thousand HCHS doctors had left the NHS, and according to the NHS nurse workforce, over 38 thousand nurses left. As of the first quarter of 2023/2024, the NHS faces an estimated 126 thousand vacancies, from which about 43 thousand are among nurses. The vacancy rate of the NHS workforce in England stood at 8.9 percent overall and over ten percent among nurses, yet much less among doctors. According to the regional NHS staff vacancy rate, over recent years, London ranked consistently as the region with the highest vacancy rate.

How does the staff handle the workforce challenges?

In 2022, according to the NHS staff survey, most respondents felt they couldn't do their job correctly due to inadequate staffing. Furthermore, compared to the previous year, the opinion of NHS staff on workforce shortages had worsened. When asked about the possibility of leaving their position, a third of the NHS staff respondents often consider leaving this organization. Although the opinion of NHS staff on leaving their position was contrasted, according to the most likely destinations of staff considering leaving their job, a significant share of NHS staff stated they would move to another position while remaining within the NHS.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 28, 2024

Key insights

Vacancy rate in NHS England
8.9%
England: Vacancies in the NHS as of June 2023
126k
Share of NHS staff with negative opinion on staffing levels at their organization
53.5%
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Total cost of staff for the NHS in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2013 to 2023 (in billion GBP)

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Health Professionals & Hospitals

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Further recommended statistics

Overview

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Overview

Vacancy rates in various regions

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Vacancy rates in various regions

Sickness absences

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Sickness absences

NHS staff survey

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NHS staff survey

Adult social care: care homes and domiciliary care

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Adult social care: care homes and domiciliary care

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National Health Service (NHS) in the UK
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National Health Service finance in the UK

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