New data nods to a nursing retention crisis, with almost 27,000 leaving the register last year alone.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), who shared the figures, named workload,
burnout and concerns about the quality of care being provided as key catalysts.
More than half (52%) of staff who left the register in the 12 months to March 2023 did so earlier than anticipated.
When asked if they would ever return to the nursing profession, the majority said ‘no’ - including the youngest of the group.
RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “These figures bear out our concerns over the failure to retain experienced staff. Thousands of nurses are leaving the profession early citing burnout, physical or mental health, and concerns about the quality of people’s care.
“With half of all new starters coming from overseas, it is clear the UK government's failure to deliver a domestic workforce plan is hitting home. While internationally educated nursing staff are a vital and valued part of the NHS, the overreliance on staff from overseas, including those countries with shortages of their own, is not sustainable.”
The number of nurses joining the register from overseas, on the other hand, has increased. In fact, almost half (25,006) of new nursing and midwifery staff were internationally educated according to the data.
The NMC highlighted that professionals who were educated elsewhere in the world now account for one in five nurses, midwives and nursing associates who can practise in the UK. The number of UK-educated newcomers also rose (8.5%) to more than 27,142.
However, the increasing amount of nursing staff being recruited from abroad has raised ethical concerns amongst industry leaders - with one spokesperson from the International Council of Nurses labelling it‘ "out of control".
“We have intense recruitment taking place mainly driven by six or seven high-income countries but with recruitment from countries which are some of the weakest and most vulnerable which can ill-afford to lose their nurses,” Howard Catton from the International Council of Nurses (ICN) added.
Nursing staffing shortages are particularly prominent in Ghana with more than 1,200 Ghanaian nurses joining the UK's nursing register in 2022.
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