4 | Nursing in Practice | Summer 2023
The latest news and analysis for nurses working in general practice and the community nursingin practice . co . uk
WORKFORCE
NMC register hits record size but leavers prompt retention concerns
The Nursing and Midwifery Council ( NMC ) register shows more nurses and midwives than ever are eligible to work in the UK , but its leavers survey has heightened concerns about retention strategies , the organisation has said .
There are now 788,638 professionals on the NMC register , with 52,148 new joiners in 2022 / 23 – the highest number since the council was established in 2001 . The number of nurses eligible to practise in the UK grew by 3.8 % year on year to 731,058 , with 26,551 more nurses on the register than the previous year .
One-fifth of all professionals on the NMC register are now internationally trained , with 77 % of those professionals educated in India , the Philippines or Nigeria . And while the number of UK-trained professionals joining the workforce increased by 8.5 %, almost half of new joiners to the register were trained internationally , a 7 % year-on-year rise .
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However , the regulator ’ s survey of leavers for 2022 / 23 revealed several concerns in relation to retention . NMC chief executive and registrar Andrea Sutcliffe said that while recruitment remained strong , there were ‘ clear warnings about the workplace pressures driving people away from the professions ’.
Of the nurses and midwives who completed the survey , 52 % said they had left earlier than planned , and the majority of those ( 85 %) said they would not be returning to the profession in the future . And while retirement was still the most common reason for leaving the register , 57 % of leavers aged 61-65 also said they had left earlier than planned .
Ms Sutcliffe said many of those leaving early were doing so ‘ because of burnout or exhaustion , lack of support from colleagues , concerns about the quality of people ’ s care , workload and staffing levels ’. Further details : tinyurl . com / NMC-data .
In brief
ARRS recruitment target ahead of schedule More than 26,800 primary care staff have been recruited into general practices under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme ( ARRS ) since 2019 , meeting the government ’ s target one year ahead of schedule .
The Conservatives ’ election manifesto committed to recruit 26,000 additional primary care professionals by March 2024 .
Some 705 full-time equivalent ( FTE ) nursing associates and 777 FTE trainee nursing associates were recruited in primary care between March 2019 and March 2023 . By March 2023 , there were 17,032 FTE nurses working in general practice and primary care networks ( PCNs ), including 4,069 FTE advanced nurse practitioners and 11,321 FTE general practice nurses .
‘ Inadequate ’ GP surgery called out over staffing and training concerns A GP surgery in Hampshire was rated ‘ inadequate ’ by the healthcare watchdog after concerns about staffing gaps and a lack of safeguarding training among nurses .
The Care Quality Commission ( CQC ) said Bury Road Surgery in Gosport ‘ had not ensured there were always sufficient numbers of