Bid to boost nurse staffing in hospitals ahead of coronavirus failed, NHS report reveals

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “There appears to be little focus on increasing the number joining the temporary register or engagement with those currently on the temporary register, despite this route having the largest potential supply.” At the start of April chief nurse Ruth May wrote to the NHS setting out a seven-point plan to boost the nursing numbers to prepare for a predicted surge in coronavirus patients. Overall, compared to February the NHS saw its nursing workforce grow by 6,825 in May as a result of redeployment of staff, the temporary register and using student nurses. “The data corroborates anecdotal feedback collected in the focus groups and national interviews indicating that there was severe strain on the nursing and midwifery workforce as a result of sickness.” Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing told The Independent: “The pandemic has starkly highlighted what happens when there are tens of thousands of nursing vacancies in the NHS in England alone. Government must now get a grip and deliver the nursing workforce that is needed.” NHS England said it was investing £180m in extra training and recruitment of nurses, with UCAS this week reporting a 26 per cent jump in students accepting a place at university to train to be a nurse.