A new Health Foundation report has highlighted that national policy and planning for the NHS workforce in England is not fit for purpose. The report also found high staff turnover and instability across the NHS and a drop in the number of trainee nurses.

Tom Brake, Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton & Wallington, commented:

“Instead of addressing the recruitment crisis facing the NHS, the government is exacerbating it.

“Scrapping student nursing bursaries has turned out to be a catastrophic mistake, while years of pay cuts are making it harder to retain staff.

“Ministers must urgently reinstate bursaries for student nurses and give NHS workers the pay rise they deserve.”