More than 27,000 nurses left the register in one year (Image: Getty)
An ex-NHS nurse has revealed why she believes so many workers leave the UK, after more than 27,000 staff exited the register in just one year.
The nurse in her 30s said they now get paid more in a part-time nursing position abroad than they did in a full-time role, however salary wasn’t the deciding factor.
She told Express.co.uk they were “worked to the ground” in an organisation that’s changed significantly since the , adding, “you don’t get your breaks, you do long hours, you don’t get paid enough”.
And the nurse, who doesn’t wish to be named, is not alone as 27,168 staff left the nurses, midwives and nursing associates register between April 2023 to March 2024, according to figures (NMC), a slight decrease on the previous 12 months.
Leaving is also high among new starters, as 20% left within 10 years of joining, reflecting “a rise over the last three years” compared to 18.8% in 2020/2021.
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According to the leavers survey, burnout, lack of colleague support, concern about the quality of care for the public, were all cited as reasons for going.
The ex-NHS nurse referenced a “pre- NHS and the post- NHS” which brought with it a new layer of pressure.
They revealed: “There was already strain, and then when came in, they gave you tons more responsibilities, and it was just too much. There was too much pressure. And do you feel like the mental health is not looked after.”
She praised younger employees for prioritising their mental health to take sick days, but noted it wasn’t as common among her age group.
“One of my friends who’s a bit younger than me used to tell me that she’d call in and have a mental health day, and I was like, what? What’s that?
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“I do think that is changing, and it’s seen as taking the mic, but it’s actually not, it’s huge burnout. I feel like probably they’ve got it right.”
As the nurse studied before 2017 when tuition fees were free, they also acknowledged the challenges that new nurses face, paying the fee in excess of £9,500 per year back on an NHS salary.
She added: “Now now you have to pay on top of working. So I think that there will be less people wanting to even go into nursing in the first place.”
NHS England Deputy Chief Nursing Officer Professor Mark Radford said: “Our latest NHS data shows that more nurses are working in the NHS than ever and crucially our retention of nurses is improving, with more nurses staying in the NHS than before the pandemic.
“We know there is more work to do to retain our hardworking staff, which is why we are offering more flexible working options and focusing on staff wellbeing, including providing a range of mental health assistance, to ensure that staff receive the right support when they need it.”