Staffing problems weaken NHS reform plans

NHS staff shortages threaten to undermine proposed reforms to the way the health service cares for patients, according to a report from an independent think-tank.

Last October, Simon Stevens, head of England's NHS, and other health leaders set out a plan to increase co-operation between different parts of the health service.

It involved closer links between primary and specialist care, physical and mental healthcare, and health and social care.

Yet the King's Fund says that gaps in the workforce, combined with an increasing reliance on temporary staff, could put these reforms at risk.

At 1.4m, the NHS workforce is one of the largest in the world, and accounts for about 70 per cent of a typical hospital's total costs.

Pinpointing categories with particular problems, the fund says the number of inpatient mental health nurses has fallen by more than 15 per cent over the past five years. This has led to a significant rise in the use of agency staff and a two-thirds increase in requests for temporary mental health nurses since the start of the 2013/14 financial year.

Shortages have also hit GP surgeries because fewer GP training posts are being filled and more family doctors are planning to take early retirement, according to its analysis.

The ranks of community nurses have also been shrunk substantially over the past five years. In contrast to the number of health visitors, which has increased by nearly a quarter over this period, the number of senior district nurses has fallen by 30 per cent and there are 16 per cent fewer community matrons, says the fund.

The tabular content relating to this article is not available to view. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience caused.

It suggests this has imposed "a substantial financial burden for the NHS at a time when budgets are stretched to breaking point and risks reducing quality of care".

A "growing plurality" of providers is delivering NHS-commissioned services, yet information to guide workforce planning at local and national levels has failed to keep pace with these developments, the fund argues.

The King's Fund points to "large data gaps" in key areas, particularly primary and community care, use of agency and bank staff, vacancy rates, and independent and voluntary sector providers.

Stronger leadership is also needed from national bodies involved in training and developing the workforce, it says.

Rachael Addicott, senior research fellow at the King's Fund, who led the work, said while the NHS workforce was a key asset, it must be able to adapt to demographic change and the new structures envisaged by Mr Stevens.

She added: "The trends we are seeing are moving in the opposite direction, with an increasing over-reliance on temporary staff and a 'black hole' in the data needed to make effective workforce plans".

© The Financial Times Limited 2015. All rights reserved.
FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Ltd.
Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.
Euro2day.gr is solely responsible for providing this translation and the Financial Times Limited does not accept any liability for the accuracy or quality of the translation