4 | Nursing in Practice | Spring 2023
The latest news and analysis for nurses working in general practice and the community nursingin practice . co . uk
WORKFORCE
More than one in five NHS nurses looking to quit , survey finds
NHS nurses are facing high levels of burnout and many are thinking of quitting the service altogether amid a decline in staff morale , an NHS staff survey has found .
The survey , published in March , reveals growing dissatisfaction among those working in the NHS , with increased feelings of pessimism and frustration . Strikingly , one in three of all NHS staff said they ‘ often think about leaving this organisation ’.
NHS nurses showed the steepest increase in dissatisfaction among the professionals who said that they would ‘ probably look for a job at a new organisation in the next 12 months ’. In 2020 , 15 % of nurses told the survey they would be looking for a new job ; this figure rose to 21.5 % in 2022 .
Likewise , nurses were also the professional group least satisfied with pay . Only 13 % of nurses and healthcare assistants reported being ‘ satisfied ’ or
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‘ very satisfied ’ with their level of pay , a decrease from a peak of 24.5 % in 2019 .
The survey took responses from 636,248 staff in the NHS . The largest group of which were registered nurses and midwives , who contributed more than a quarter of all responses .
More than one-third ( 34 %) of all respondents said they felt burned out due to work , while a further 45 % said they had felt unwell due to work-related stress this year . Well over half ( 57 %) of all staff , however , reported having come into work in the past three months despite not feeling well enough to do so .
RCN director for England Patricia Marquis commented : ‘ Nursing staff are the bedrock of the NHS , and the largest profession within the service .
‘ These findings lay bare not only the intensifying staffing crisis in our NHS , but the devastation that is waiting in the wings if action is not taken quickly .’
Read the survey at bit . ly / 40nCzDB .
In brief
Healthcare leaders call for Treasury to protect social care funding The National Care Forum ( NCF ) has submitted a representation to the UK Treasury calling for the ringfencing of funding for adult social care .
The organisation wants chancellor Jeremy Hunt to ensure social care funding provided to local councils meets the actual costs of providing the care .
According to NCF ’ s analysis of council data , the Government has paid at least £ 2.88bn less than the actual cost of delivering care to people in their own homes and in care homes for those aged over 65 .
NCF chief executive Professor Vic Rayner OBE said : ‘ The Government must also commit to a fully funded , 10-year national workforce plan for adult social care which improves pay , terms and conditions .’ bit . ly / 3ZNqZSf
Weight-loss injection approved by NHS The weight-loss drug semaglutide – to be launched as Wegovy – will be available on NHS prescription once its UK launch is confirmed , following support for its use from the National Institute for Health Care and Excellence ( NICE ). NICE recommends the drug be prescribed only within specialist services offering