The independent report by the King’s Fund, Health Foundation and Nuffield Trust found one in eight nursing posts in the National Health Service (NHS) are now empty with 36,000 vacancies.
In total, a shortfall of up to 350,000 staff is forecast if current trends around patient demand, training, recruitment and retention continue.
The report wants the Government to address workforce issues through short-term measures such as boosting international recruitment and improving retention, and long-term measures including increasing the number of people in training to become a nurse.
“Achieving the necessary level of expansion will require the government to review and improve the targeted incentives on offer, financial and otherwise, to students entering the profession, and to employers looking to become more directly involved in supporting education opportunities,” it adds.
Food for thought as our own Government moves ahead on Australia’s Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce report.
