June 27, 2022

royal college of nursing

British nurses and midwives quitting profession in droves 

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Figures released by the British Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has found a 13% rise in the numbers of nurses and midwives leaving the profession over the past year. 

The latest annual data from the NMC revealed a total of 27,133 nurses and midwives made the decision to exit the profession between April 2021 and March 2022. 

Of the reasons provided for the exodus, the most common were: retirement, “personal circumstances”, too much pressure at work, negative workplace culture and plans to leave the UK entirely. 

Publishing the data, Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Executive and Registrar at the NMC, warned those who left “shared troubling stories about the pressure they’ve had to bear during the pandemic”. 

In responding to the alarming data, the Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen said that the loss “is being felt profoundly by both patients and nurses alike”. 

“When we have tens of thousands of vacant nurse jobs, a sharp rise in leavers should not be overlooked while we welcome new recruits. Ministers should avoid overclaiming today – nursing staff tell us these shortages are biting more than ever. 

“With an imminent government decision on NHS pay and the pay review body reports due this month, these figures are a reminder of the scale of the challenge and why radical action is needed to boost the nursing workforce”. 

The College has called for a sustainable workforce plan to be implemented urgently by the British government to stem the tide of nurses and midwives leaving.  

Historic strike by Northern Irish nurses

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Unsafe staffing and poor pay in the absence of a functioning government in Northern Ireland led to 9000 nurses from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) going on strike for the first time in the union’s 103-year history.

Another 6,500 nurses from the Unison union also joined pickets for the one-day strike on December 19. The striking nurses were undeterred by miserably cold weather, with driving wind and rain. It is believed to be the biggest industrial action of its kind ever in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland has the worst hospital waiting lists in the UK, according to figures from the Department of Health. And according to the RCN, nurses’ pay in Northern Ireland has fallen in real terms by 15 per cent over eight years. There is a shortage of about 2,800 nurses.

Northern Ireland nurses want pay parity with their counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales who won a 6.5 per cent pay rise last year. But the pay rise did not apply to Northern Ireland because of the absence of devolved government.

“Northern Ireland hasn’t had a functioning government for almost three years. Patients and nurses need … health ministers to be appointed again to take charge of this crisis,” said Donna Kinnair, RCN general secretary.

“I hope this first-ever industrial action by RCN nurses will provide the shock politicians and health and social care management need to take action.”