NHS nursing levels are missing targets

The majority of hospitals in England have a shortage of nurses, according to recent data published by the NHS. 92 per cent of the 225 acute hospital trusts in England were short of nurses during the day in August this year. 

The Department of Health (DoH) has said that staffing is a priority, after analysis showed that hospitals in England were missing targets for safe staffing levels. This has become a more prominent problem since the beginning of the year, when just 85 per cent of hospitals were missing staffing targets. The DoH has, however, confirmed that a further 50,000 nurses are currently in training.

Many hospitals are relying on overseas recruitment and agency staff until more nurses are trained. The government has removed the cap for the number of nurses in training, which is expected to boost numbers.