22/08/2012

New Figures Show Almost 5,000 Less Nurses In NHS

Almost 5,000 nurses have left the NHS since May 2010 while doctor numbers have risen by 3,700, according to new figures released today.

Trade unions and Labour have said the nursing losses were a direct result of cuts to frontline hospital services. Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, pointed out that the health service was losing 200 nurses a month, although there had been an acceleration in the rate of job losses, with more than 1,000 posts gone in the past four months.

The figures show that there are 276,608 qualified nurses or their full-time equivalent working in the health service – 4,823 fewer than when the coalition took office two years ago.

Ministers argued that overall the number of clinical staff in the NHS had risen by 2,400.

Burnham said: "David Cameron has cut the NHS budget for two years running and we are now seeing the effects of this on the ground in the NHS. On his watch, we have seen the NHS lose nurses at a rate of 200 per month as hospital trusts make kneejerk cuts to the frontline."

(H)


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