Thousands of new nurses are out of a job as the NHS is forced to cut roles

Newly qualified nurses have been left struggling to find entry-level jobs, as funding cuts have forced the NHS to cut vacancies by a quarter. Independent he learned.

NHS leaders say funding pressures on the sector mean employers have cut jobs across the board, including front-line staff. Young nurses described being forced to take on roles as health care assistants while competing for fewer positions.

The staff described the situation as “ridiculous” and pledged to resolve the issue.

Dr Nichola Ashby, deputy chief nurse at the Royal College of Nursing, has called on NHS England and healthcare employers to take urgent action to ensure this year’s graduates get the jobs they are trained to do .

‘Growing discontent’

Despite the NHS facing widespread staffing issues, and despite the availability of other jobs, student nurses are still struggling to find jobs, according to the Council of Deans of Health, which represents UK universities that teach nursing and midwifery.

It said two student nurses should qualify this year Independent that when they search for jobs that describe “newly qualified” on the NHS internal website, fewer than 10 positions are shown.

Another second-year nurse, Heather McWhey, said only two of her class of 30 got jobs last year, and most will need to work as health care assistants until they do. activities.

Ms McWhey said she had been looking for work since September but had no luck. He is afraid that he will not have a place to work after two months.

He said: “My people [of students] we have been discussing what we are going to do. Some of us want to give up ours [qualification] – something we didn’t think we could do – and go to work as a health care assistant in hospitals until we can find a vacancy. Who knows when that will happen.”

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “It is unconscionable that qualified health professionals cannot find jobs in an under-resourced NHS, and patients are not getting the care they deserve. .We intend to change that.”

Ed Hughes, chief executive of the Council of Deans, said: “We have heard from our members that compared to previous years, in some areas and in some roles there are fewer vacancies this year for NHS employers. they assess their labor needs in terms of their existing vacancies and their financial situation.”

Billy Palmer, senior executive at the Nuffield Trust, said Independent that last year overall nursing jobs advertised by the NHS fell from 41,600 to 31,300. Statistics are not available for the jobs of newly graduated nurses, or their location in the country.

According to data company Statista, 29,080 students received nursing degrees in 2022.

Mr Palmer said that given the extent of disruption to planned care, the drop in employment was not due to patient demand.

“Instead, it is likely that behind this latest incident there is a combination of tightening NHS funding and capacity constraints, whether in physical facilities, beds and medical equipment, or management and administration,” he said.

“Whatever the reason, the NHS will need to be dealt with urgently or growing dissatisfaction from students who cannot find suitable jobs could be another obstacle to create a sustainable NHS nursing workforce.”

Separate data collated by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation suggests that the biggest declines in the past year have been in advertisements for childcare jobs, which fell by 25 per cent, and for dental nurses, which fell by 36 percent.

Advertisements for midwives fell by 19 per cent and for community nurses by 23 per cent.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said Independent: “It’s no secret that the NHS is operating under severe financial pressure, and the findings of our survey earlier this year showed just how severe this pressure is.

“We know that some facilities are reducing or suspending clinical and administrative roles, as well as reducing other patient services and having to consider more drastic measures to balance the books.

“One of the consequences of this is that leaders are forced to immediately cut staffing levels and other services to meet tighter targets.”

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, has warned that leaders are concerned about how short-term staffing controls will affect the trust’s ability to meet future demand.

“Trusts are exploring various ways to reduce staffing costs, including exploring planned staff increases, reducing organizational costs and, in some cases, reducing staffing levels altogether, ” he said.

This week, the chief executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, wrote to NHS leaders following Rachel Reeves’ revelation of a £22bn black hole in public records.

He told health leaders that the chancellor’s comments were confirmation that the government “doesn’t have a budget this year”, saying the NHS will need to focus on living within its means.

A spokesman for NHS England said: “Nurses and midwives are a vital part of the workforce and with the latest figures showing that vacancies are still high at over 31,000, we will continue to work with organisations. service across the country and universities to ensure that students can secure jobs in the NHS.”