Under-45s lead exodus of hospital nursing staff

TWO-Thirds of nurses who left the Nhs in the past year were under 45, damning analysis by a think-tank shows.

Nearly 23,000 younger nurses quit, up 26 per cent from the previous year for this age group, said the King’s Fund.

it found that almost a quarter of all those who left were under 30, showing the exodus is not driven by retirement.

Last week analysis by the Nuffield Trust revealed that more than 40,000 nurses have left in the past year, one in nine of the workforce.

The King’s Fund added that from June 2021 to June this year, there was a 25 per cent rise in the number leaving, with 7,000 more going compared with the previous year.

According to the most recent Nhs staff survey, 52 per cent had felt unwell due to workrelated stress and 40 per cent felt burnt out.

Nurses are also angry over pay with voting about to start on strike action for the first time in the royal College of Nursing’s 100-year history.

The department of health said there were over 29,000 more nurses in the Nhs than in september 2019.