4 | Nursing in Practice | Autumn 2022
NEWS
All you need to know on current issues for nurses working in general practice and the community nursingin practice . co . uk
WORKFORCE
Nurse vacancies in England jump by 20 % inside three months
The vacancy rate for NHS nurses in England has jumped by a fifth in three months , official data have shown .
The latest NHS Digital statistics revealed 46,828 registered nurse vacancies in the NHS in June 2022 compared with 38,972 in March 2022 – a 20 % increase . The number in June 2021 was 38,814 .
This record increase takes the total vacancy rate across the nursing workforce up to 11.8 %. While the rate has not reached the 12.3 % seen in the same
ONLINE Scan the QR code for daily news updates month in 2019 – the highest since records began – it is significantly higher than at any time since the end of 2019 .
London had the most unfilled posts , with 2,000 more vacancies in June than at the same time last year , taking the total beyond 11,000 with a vacancy rate of 15 %. The north west was the least affected area , with 5,754 empty posts at a rate of 9.7 %.
RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen used these figures to call on nurses to support industrial action .
She said : ‘ Rather than leave a fantastic profession , I am telling members that the time has come to vote for strike action this year – it is the best way to now get politicians to listen and show what we mean when we say enough is enough .’
The RCN had planned to ballot members in England and Wales on Agenda for Change contracts on the issue on 15 September . However , this was delayed after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September . No new date for the vote had been announced as Nursing in Practice went to press . bit . ly / 3d1UexC .
WORKFORCE
Encourage nurses out of retirement to help ease NHS crisis , report says
Encouraging nurses out of retirement , plus a package of targeted support for community care and district nurses could help address the NHS crisis , a think tank has said .
Policy Exchange launched a manifesto on 22 August aimed at new Prime
Minister Liz Truss , who took office on 6 September . The document contains 16 policy ideas – eight focused on the current pressures affecting access to services and eight that look to put the NHS on a sustainable longer-term footing .
One of its suggestions for stabilising primary care in the short term is to launch a re-entry scheme for retired nurses and GPs .
The report said that about 19,000 nurses overall left the register between September 2020 to 2021 , with one of the reasons cited being low staffing levels . It
In brief
Nursing tributes to Queen Elizabeth II Nurses celebrated the impact Queen Elizabeth II had on the profession , following her death on 8 September .
Among the tributes , RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said , ‘ we have lost a dedicated Queen and Royal Patron [ who ] will be missed by nursing staff across the UK ’ following her ‘ long connection ’ with the profession .
NMC chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe spoke of the Queen ’ s ‘ lifetime of service ’, and her ‘ dedication ’, ‘ commitment ’ and ‘ leadership ’.
QNI chief executive Dr Crystal Oldman called the Queen ‘ an outstanding supporter of the