More than 5,000 early career nursing staff quit profession in one year
A fifth of the nursing and midwifery professionals who left the register in the last year did so within 10 years of joining, figures show.
Nursing leaders described the statistic as “deeply alarming” and called on ministers to “grasp the nettle and make nursing an attractive career”.
The latest Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) annual report on its register of nurses, midwives and nursing associates in the UK shows 27,168 staff left the profession between April 2023 and March 2024, a slight decrease on the previous 12 months.
However, 20.3% of the total - or 5,508 - did so within the first 10 years. This is compared to 18.8% in 2020/2021 and “reflects a rise over the last three years”, according to the report.
Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: “It is deeply alarming that over 5,000 young, early-career nursing staff chose to quit the profession last year, most vowing never to return.
“When the vacancy rate is high and care standards often poor due to staffing levels, the NHS cannot afford to lose a single individual.
“New ministers have to grasp the nettle and make nursing an attractive career.”
Source: The Independent, 19 July 2024