This blog has been kindly written for HEPI by Susanna Kalitowski, Head of Policy at the University Alliance.
The headlines have been dominated for weeks by grim stories detailing the extent of the NHS workforce crisis, which is deepening with the addition of widescale strikes. There are nowhere near enough staff with over 130,000 vacancies in England – including over 46,000 nursing posts. This is even though the Government is on target to meet its manifesto pledge of 50,000 more nurses. Demand for nurses is increasing more quickly than supply.
While Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have undoubtedly exacerbated the situation, the workforce crisis predates these. Back in 2017, a Lords Committee warned that the absence of long-term workforce planning was ‘the biggest internal threat to the sustainability of the NHS’. The King’s Fund says the crisis is the result of ‘a prolonged funding squeeze … combined with years of poor workforce planning, weak policy and fragmented responsibilities.’
The higher education sector – which it goes without saying trains most healthcare professionals – has all too often felt like a helpless bystander. Increasing capacity on healthcare courses requires long-term investment in new buildings, facilities and staff and years of preparation. Yet we have not had a national NHS workforce strategy since 2003. Despite having a world-leading higher education sector, the UK has relied on immigration to fill workforce gaps. This is no longer sustainable practically, politically or morally. The head of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, has called for more homegrown doctors and nurses.
