Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSIncrease in nurse posts taking at least three months to fill
Long-term staff vacancy rates for nursing posts in England have increased this year, according to figures from the NHS Information Centre.
The latest NHS Vacancies Survey reports on health service vacancies as they were on 31 March 2009, including the total number of vacancies and also long-term vacancies – those that have remained unfilled for three months or more.
It shows that across most NHS staff groups, long-term vacancy rates show a slight increase on last year but remain lower than 2006 and before.
Among qualified nursing staff, total vacancies rose from 2.5% in 2008 to 3.1%, with long-term vacancies also increasing from 0.5% to 0.7%.
Total vacancies fell among psychiatric nurses from 3.2% in 2008 to 2.7%. But the long-term vacancy rate rose from 0.6 to 0.9%, meaning about one in three vacancies for a post of psychiatric nurses takes three months or more to fill.
For midwives, total vacancies increased from 2.1% in 2008 to 3.4%, with long-term vacancies also rising from 0.8% to 1.0% and accounting for about one in four of all midwife vacancies.
When broken down by strategic health authority, London had the highest long-term vacancy rate for qualified nursing staff with the three-month vacancy rate increasing from 1.2% in 2008 to 1.6% this year.
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Readers' comments (5)
Anonymous | 9-Aug-2009 2:10 am
Well why the he*l don't they just employ ALL the newly qualified nurses out there who are struggling to find full time work?
Not rocket science is it?
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lisa westwood | 11-Aug-2009 10:21 am
these figures do not reflect reality at all, if your a nurse with 6 mnths experience your fine but theres no newly qualified jobs out there!
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susan mcconnell | 13-Aug-2009 6:19 pm
The problem which is universal seems to be caused by human resource departments taking forever to get anyone into their new post.
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Andy Hill | 27-Aug-2009 9:01 pm
I wonder to what extent the system of CRB checking is affecting vacancy rates. I have just returned from living in Australia and have so far waited 8 weeks for a CRB check. It is an extremely difficult situation for both prospective employees and employers.
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Anonymous | 7-Sep-2009 3:50 pm
I am a newly qualified nurse and to date I have not found any work.
My trust has now starting to employ staff on a six month renewable contract.
This does not make one feel secure in work and I fear will place extra stress on staff morale.
I trained thinking I was enetering into an area of work with a secure future, if I am luck enough to secure a position in the near future I will feel even more pressure whilst undertaking my preceptorship.
Not a good feeling.
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