Crystal Oldman: act now to prevent more nurses leaving the profession

Skilled leadership, support from role models and clear career pathways are crucial to retaining valuable nursing staff, says Queen’s Nursing Institute chief executive Crystal Oldman

Nurses have more career choices than ever been before, with practitioners moving into commissioning roles, residential care and social care, as well as between NHS service providers.

This is one of the benefits of a flexible, professional career, so it is a tragedy that many nurses are choosing to leave the profession or take early retirement, resulting in a huge loss of knowledge, skills and expertise in the sector.

Staff retention remains a major concern for the nursing profession, and we need to be mindful of the reasons why nurses leave. Nurses need to feel supported and valued in their roles, and have