Most admitted they were unlikely to return to the profession.
Thousands of registered nurses are quitting the profession often “much earlier than planned”.
Between March 2022 and March 2023, a massive 26,755 professionals left the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register.
Annual registration data published by the regulator reveals that while its register has grown to record levels there are serious concerns over the number of nurses, midwives and nursing associates leaving the profession.
Most admitted they were unlikely to return to the profession, including younger leavers. Burnout, lack of colleague support, concern about the quality of care for the public, workload and staffing, were frequently cited as reasons for leaving.
The data also reveals that almost half of the 52,148 joining the register were trained internationally.
A record level.
The NMC says healthcare leaders must now focus on retention strategies to reduce the number leaving the skill-depleted workforce.
NMC Chief Executive and Registrar Andrea Sutcliffe explained: “At a time of rising demand for health and care services, it’s welcome news that our register has grown to a record level, due to an increase in domestically educated joiners together with the ongoing surge in international recruitment.”
“While recruitment remains strong, there are clear warnings about the workplace pressures driving people away from the professions. Many are leaving the register earlier than planned because of burnout or exhaustion, lack of support from colleagues, concerns about the quality of people’s care, workload and staffing levels.
“Our insight can support nursing and midwifery leaders across health and social care to focus on the right issues in their retention strategies. Addressing those issues must be a collaborative effort aimed at improving staff wellbeing and retention, for the benefit of everyone using services.”
Not sustainable.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned the current practice of bolstering the workforce with internally trained nurses is “not sustainable” and there have been questions raised over how ethical it is.
Responding to the figures, RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “These figures bear out our concerns over the failure to retain experienced staff. Thousands of nurses are leaving the profession early citing burnout, physical or mental health, and concerns about the quality of people’s care.
“With half of all new starters coming from overseas, it is clear the UK government’s failure to deliver a domestic workforce plan is hitting home.
Ms Cullen continued, “While internationally educated nursing staff are a vital and valued part of the NHS, the overreliance on staff from overseas, including those countries with shortages of their own, is not sustainable.”
Referring to the imminent announcement in England in particular, Pat added: “When the workforce plan for England finally comes, it must tackle these issues head on.”
