'Absurd' NHS recruitment leaving newly-qualified nurses without jobs to be fixed

An "absurd" NHS recruitment mess which has forced newly-qualified nurses forced to abandon their dream will be fixed, the Government has pledged.

Wes Streeting has announced an overhaul to make sure there are enough jobs for all nursing and midwifery graduates. Numbers studying for these jobs surged to record levels during the pandemic, while the number of staff leaving the profession dropped. This meant there have not been enough positions for graduates when they finish their courses.

In some areas of England there are three times as many newly-qualified nurses as there are posts for them to fill, the Government said. Under the new plans recruitment will start before vacancies formally arise and current red tape will be cut. It comes after Gordon Brown blasts the return of 'poverty of 60 years ago' as he makes one big demand.

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Mr Streeting said: “It is absurd that we are training thousands of nurses and midwives every year, only to leave them without a job before their career has started. No one who dedicates themselves to a nursing or midwifery career should be left in limbo, when their skills are so urgently needed in the effort to rebuild our NHS."

The new "graduate guarantee" will also bolster support available to nurses and midwives in their first job, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said. Royal College of Nursing chief Prof Nicola Ranger welcomed the move, but said graduates will need to be convinced it will work.

She said: “When the health service urgently needs nursing staff, it was absurd to leave people in limbo. The test of this will be if students can find jobs, vacant posts are filled, and patients receive the care they deserve."

The Government has also pledged £8million to temporarily convert vacant maternity support worker posts to Band 5 midwifery positions. Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “We're pleased that the Government has listened to the voices of student midwives who are desperate to start their career, only to find those opportunities blocked."

And Claire Taylor, chief nursing officer at Macmillan Cancer Support branded it "welcome news" and added: "Some of today's trainee nurses will, I hope, also go on to become the Cancer Nurse Specialists of the future.

"With the number of people with cancer at 2.8 million across England , the need for more specialist cancer nurses is clear, as only then will the UK be able to offer people with cancer the best possible care and support, no matter who they are or where they live."

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