Jane Ball is a Principal Research Fellow based in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton
We have a shortage of registered nurses, hence nursing is once again on the occupational shortage list. With insufficient ‘home-grown’ registered nurses available, Trusts have had to resort to other measures: use bank and agency, recruit ‘ready-made’ RNs from other countries, run services with a high vacancy rate and try and ‘stretch’ the existing resource to cover the gaps.
The solutions are far from perfect – each bearing a financial cost and increasing pressure on existing staff, to manage temporary staff, accommodate staff from other countries, or bear the brunt of staffing shortages themselves. Increased pressure leads to sickness, absence, higher burnout, and staff leaving. Leading to more vacancies and more pressure. A downward spiral fuelled by too few RNs.
In December 2015, Health Education England published the national workforce investment…
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