The UK healthcare staffing crisis – what can be done?

The UK healthcare sector is currently facing a severe staffing shortage, caused by the large backlog of NHS operations and treatments in the wake of the pandemic. This dynamic is likely to outlast the pandemic, however, as the number of nurses and carers in the sector continues to decrease while the needs of the populace grow. 

Here, we take a look at the staffing crisis in UK healthcare, and ways for employers and workers to make the best of the situation. 

A perfect storm for healthcare

The Covid-19 pandemic compounded an already challenging situation for NHS workers, care home operators, and patients across the country. Waiting list for NHS treatments have rocketed, with hundreds of thousands having now waited for over a year, and thousands more for over two years. Moreover, a wave of burnout is affecting the understaffed NHS workforce, with close to 100,000 unfilled vacancies across the organisation. 

As well as this, care home operators in England have continued to struggle with a lack of staff. The spread of Covid-19 directly contributed to this shortfall, with thousands of care home workers having to take sick leave, but the problem is persisting even as the UK exits the pandemic. 

Candidates are more valuable than ever 

The shortage of available talent in hospitals and care homes has created enormous demand for qualified professionals, and therefore an opportunity for candidates to capitalise. Adam McLaughlin, Associate Director at Michael Page Healthcare, said:

There is a huge need right now for new healthcare professionals to pick up the work which care home operators are currently struggling to perform due to a lack of workers. In fact, some of our partners have recently raised the wages they are paying to their healthcare assistants to get new people in. Many qualified care workers are really benefiting from heightened demand for their skillsets.

In this market, employers need to thoroughly evaluate what they are offering their staff. If you are looking for talent, you could get the edge by offering a wage boost or other benefits to candidates. And if you are a candidate, now a great time to land a raise or a new role. 

Staff shortages – a long term challenges

The causes of the staffing crisis are deeper than the Covid-19 pandemic and will likely continue for years to come. For instance, the number of people entering the nursing profession has been in decline year on year, with data from the Nursing and Midwifery Council showing 3,700 fewer professionals joining the register between March 2020-2021 compared to the same period the previous year. 

The nursing workforce is also ageing: one in five of those on the register are aged 56 or above, and one in 10 are over 60. With so many nurses close to retirement and not enough new recruits to plug the gap, nursing in the UK is likely to face a significant staff shortfall. These staffing issues extend well beyond nursing, applying to care home workers too.  

Adam commented:

Employers are definitely struggling to find workers, whether it’s carers or nurses, NHS or private. And the problem goes beyond individual homes or hospitals. While you can temporarily alleviate one shortage by shifting workers from one location to another, this is ultimately just moving people around without getting more people into the system as a whole. 

This means that bringing more people into the sector, and retaining those already in it, will be a critical strategy for plugging gaps and ensuring a well-functioning healthcare system. 

Why contracting could be a key solution

New contract types and ways of working have the potential to make nursing and caring more appealing to potential candidates. Specifically, many of the professionals we work with are gravitating toward temp work as a way to take control over the frequency and intensity of their shifts. 

Remuneration is often superior for temp nurses and carers, while the current candidate short market, with record vacancies, offers an opportunity for professionals to explore new avenues and apply skillsets which may not be applicable to their permanent roles.

Bringing more people into the sector through reskilling

Moving forward, it will also be essential for employers to make the most of the available workforce, while the sector as a whole will need to find ways to bring larger numbers of new people into nursing and social care. An essential part of this will be attracting people who are currently in other industries and offering more attractive working conditions to potential candidates. 

For instance, there are many programs which provide workers in non-healthcare related industries the opportunity to become healthcare assistants. These often include compliance checks, qualification and certification as recognised by the Care Quality Commission. Adam said:

It’s critical to provide more people with routes into fulfilling careers in health and social care. This is also an excellent time for interested candidates to enter into the sector, since the staff shortage has made qualified individuals more valuable than ever before.

With so many challenges facing the UK healthcare system when it comes to staffing, employers need to find ways to to attract new people, and make compelling offers in order to retain employees already within the sector. This could mean creating and supporting new qualification routes for prospective candidates, offering new ways of working to keep people in the industry, and many other strategies.

Meanwhile, for those with relevant experience as nurses or social carers, it will be important to stay up to date with market conditions to capitalise on skyrocketing demands for those skillsets.  

At Michael Page Healthcare, our specialist consultants work closely with nurses and carers and healthcare assistants to help them find new opportunities and develop their careers. To have an introductory conversation with one of our expert consultants, get in touch.