The number of nurses in the NHS in England increased by 13,840 compared with last year, and the number of doctors has risen by 9,306, figures published today up until the end of May show.
All professionally qualified clinical staff, doctors, paramedics and support to clinical staff are now at record levels.
Responding to today’s NHS workforce statistics, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:
It is fantastic to see we have record numbers of staff working in our NHS, and as set out last month in the NHS People Plan, we must strive to make the NHS the best possible place to work for all. This will help us retain more of our hardworking staff and ensure the NHS can continue to protect us, as we protected it throughout the peak of this pandemic.
With the latest UCAS figures already showing a 14% rise in people accepting places on nursing courses in England, we are well on our way to delivering 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament.
We have protected the NHS, and we are investing record sums into the NHS, hiring more doctors and nurses so that the NHS is always there for you and your family.
Scott Mann, MP for North Cornwall said:
These figures show that we are serious about our plan to ensure fairness across the regions.
I have met with senior NHS Management on several occasions and fed their concerns about recruitment and retention directly to the Secretary of State, so I am pleased that those conversations have been taken on board, and Cornwall has seen a nine per cent rise in doctors and nurses.
Following A Level results last week, the latest UCAS statics revealed a 14% rise in acceptances for nursing and midwifery courses in England, with many more expected during clearing.
Last month the NHS People Plan set out how the NHS will put staff wellbeing at its heart with a new recruitment, retention and support package. It sets out practical support for wellbeing, such as:
- safe spaces to rest and recuperate
- wellbeing guardians
- support to keep staff physically safe and healthy
The figures for May include some former healthcare professionals who bravely volunteered to return to the frontline during the pandemic. May figures also show that 592 returners were identified, of which there are 102 doctors and 157 nurses and health visitors. Not all returners are reflected in the monthly workforce stats as they could have been employed on fixed term, honorary or bank contracts, or via NHS Professionals.
Background information
Today NHS Digital has published its monthly NHS workforce data for May 2020
Over the last year (May 2019 to May 2020) the number of nurses has gone up by 13,840, from 281,781 to 295,620.
Over the last year (May 2019 to 2020) the number of doctors has gone up by 9,306, from 111,950 to 121,256.
Student nurses do not have full registration with the NMC, and so are counted as ‘support to clinical staff’. They are not included in the ‘nurses’ count. Medical students are on the same standing as Foundation 1 doctors, and so are counted as ‘doctors’ in the statistics.
NHS Professionals is an organisation in the United Kingdom that supplies temporary staff to the National Health Service.
The South West has seen a significant increase in the number of doctors and nurses working in the NHS, new data shows.
The latest NHS Workforce Statistics show there are 940 more doctors and 1,187 more nurses in the region compared to last year.
The number of doctors has increased from 10,340 to 11,280 – a jump of 9.1%.
The number of nurses, including health visitors, has gone up from 25,355 to 27,172 – a rise of 7.2%.
Trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) based in Somerset (9.7%), Cornwall (9.3%), Dorset (9%), Devon (8.8%) and Wiltshire (8.1%) have all seen significant increases in doctors, as have those organisations that span counties (11.1%).
It is a similar story with nurses, with trusts and CCGs based in Wiltshire (14.8%), Somerset (9.3%), Cornwall (8.7%), Dorset (8.2%) and Devon (8%) leading the way.
The number of doctors in the NHS in England has increased by 9,306 compared to last year, while the number of nurses has risen by 13,840.
All professionally-qualified clinical staff, doctors, paramedics and support to clinical staff are now at record levels.
