Mental health nursing ‘must be key concern of NHS workforce plan’
Numbers lag behind other areas of nursing and almost one third of all nurse vacancies are in mental health – so ministers need to find urgent solution – report
Thousands more mental health nurses must be recruited across the NHS to address shortages that have left staff and services stretched to ‘breaking point’, say mental health leaders.
They are urging the government in England to ensure mental health and learning disability nursing feature prominently in its long-waited – and now late-running – workforce plan.
The much-anticipated plan, which had been expected this spring, appears to be delayed because health and social care secretary Steve Barclay would not name a publication date in an interview with Sophy Ridge for Sky News at the weekend, saying only it would be published before the next election.
‘Mental health leaders and their teams cannot be expected to solve this staffing crisis alone’
Sean Duggan, chief executive, NHS Confederation mental health network
How far mental health nurse numbers lag behind
Analysis by the Nuffield Trust for the NHS Confederation suggests not enough is being done to boost mental health nurse numbers. While there has been an 11% increase in the number of mental health nurses since 2015, the report states mental health nursing lags behind the adult and children’s workforce.
The latest NHS vacancy statistics show 18% of nursing posts at mental health trusts were unfilled as of March 2023, unchanged since the previous quarter. And almost one third of all nursing vacancies in England are those in mental health trusts.
Domestic solution to short-staffing is needed
Chief executive of the NHS Confederation’s mental health network Sean Duggan said: ‘Mental health leaders and their teams are pulling out all the stops in what are very constrained circumstances, but they cannot be expected to solve this staffing crisis alone.
‘This relentless pressure on mental health staff cannot be allowed to continue, with the ultimate impact being on the patients.’
Nuffield Trust senior fellow and lead report author Billy Palmer added: ‘Given the growing gaps affecting NHS mental health services and the difficulties we face hiring to these important roles from overseas, there is an urgent imperative for the government to get the domestic recruitment of mental health nurses right.’
Regional disparities in mental health nurse numbers
The Nuffield report identified significant regional differences in the mental health nursing workforce, including the number of nurses relative to the size and mental health needs of the population. For example, it found there were 63% more mental health nurses per person in the north east of England and Yorkshire (91 per 100,000) than in the east of England (56 per 100,000), relative to need.
There is significant variation in leaving rates between trusts and an apparent variation in opportunities for pay progression.
Measures that would help boost mental health nurse numbers include combatting negative stereotypes and ensuring appropriate education funding and support, researchers found.
The Nuffield analysis concluded much will depend on whether the government’s eventual workforce plan contains tangible strategies.
The Department for Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.
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