To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of nursing shortages; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle that shortage.
Answered on
24 May 2022
As of December 2021, there were 39,652 full-time equivalent registered nursing vacancies. Many of the vacancies will be covered by bank and agency staff.
We have committed to delivering 50,000 more nurses by 2024 and ensure a sustainable long-term supply in future. We have established a programme to improve retention and support return to practice, invest in and diversify the training pipeline and ethically recruit internationally. As of February 2022, the number of nurses had increased by more than 30,000 in comparison with September 2019.