London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

One in four NHS workers more likely to quit than a year ago, survey finds

One in four NHS workers more likely to quit than a year ago, survey finds

Findings prompt warning health service faces ‘deadly exodus’ of key personnel as it tries to restart normal care after pandemic
A quarter of NHS workers are more likely to quit their job than a year ago because they are unhappy about their pay, frustrated by understaffing and exhausted by Covid-19, a survey suggests.

The findings have prompted warnings that the health service is facing a potential “deadly exodus” of key personnel just as it tries to restart normal care after the pandemic.

A representative poll of 1,006 health professionals across the UK by YouGov for the IPPR thinktank found that the pandemic has left one in four more likely to leave than a year ago. That includes 29% of nurses and midwives, occupations in which the NHS has major shortages.

Ministers must initiate a “new deal” for NHS staff that involves a decent pay rise, better benefits, more flexible working and fewer administrative tasks, the IPPR said.

“The last 12 months have stretched an already very thin workforce to breaking point. Many are exhausted, frustrated and in need of better support. If the government does not do right by them now, more many leave their jobs,” said Dr Parth Patel, an NHS doctor and IPPR research fellow who co-wrote its new report on how the NHS can retain and recruit more staff.

The apparently greater readiness to consider leaving means that as many as 330,000 staff could quit, the IPPR said.

“In reality many of these workers will not leave,” its report says. “But a highly dissatisfied and demoralised workforce is very bad news for patients and productivity. Even if only a fraction leave, it would significantly compound existing understaffing problems, particularly as those most likely to leave – nurses – are the group with the highest number of shortages,” it adds.

The IPPR report follows a warning last week by the NHS Confederation, which represents hospital trusts in England, that Boris Johnson will struggle to fulfil his pledge to increase the NHS nursing workforce by 50,000 by 2024 unless staff are given proper time off to recover from the pandemic.

Asked by the IPPR what their priorities were for improving their working lives, 70% of staff questioned said a pay rise – more than twice those who identified any other factor.

NHS trade unions, Labour and some of its own backbench MPs have criticised the government for offering staff only a 1% pay hike when the NHS in England had budgeted for 2.1%.

“This report should act as a wake-up call to government and force them to stop ignoring the warning signs of an exodus of nursing staff from the NHS.

“Ministers must now rethink their pay offer and put in proper support service for those who given so much in the last year,” said Prof Dame Donna Kinnair, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing. It has threatened to strike unless the 1% offer is improved.

Criticism of the government’s handling of Covid-19 is helping to drive the apparent readiness of NHS staff to consider leaving. Almost nine in 10 said slow government policy, for example being late to lockdown society, was a very or somewhat important reason why the UK has had one of the highest death rates in Europe from the pandemic. Almost 80% cited “an under-resourced NHS, with little ‘spare capacity’”.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We recognise the pressure this pandemic has put on all health and social care staff and have put £15m into dedicated staff mental health support and launched a 24/7 helpline.

“There are record numbers of doctors and nurses working in our NHS with nearly 10,900 more nurses and almost 6,600 more doctors than last year. We are committed to supporting every one by further boosting recruitment, investing in staff, and backing the NHS with an extra £29bn in Covid funding over the next year.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×