- Latest data showing more doctors, nurses and staff than ever
before are working in the NHS
- Government on track to deliver on commitment for 50,000 more
nurses by 2024, with over 41,000 more nurses compared to
September 2019
- New pension rules also come into force today to support
senior clinicians to continue working in the NHS for longer
There are record number of doctors and nurses working in the NHS
in England helping to deliver extra appointments, speed up
diagnoses and cut waiting lists, according to the latest stats.
Data published today by NHS Digital shows in January 2023 there
were almost 1.27 million full-time equivalent staff working in
NHS trusts and commissioning bodies in England - over 48,700 more
people compared to a year ago, an increase of 4%.
The latest data also shows there were over 5,100 more doctors and
over 11,800 more nurses working in the NHS compared to January
2022.
Since 2010, there are now over 37,700 more doctors and over
52,400 more nurses working in the NHS. The government is also on
track to deliver on its commitment for 50,000 more nurses by
2024, with over 41,000 more nurses compared to September 2019.
Separately, reforms to public sector pensions announced at Budget
come into force today which will increase the annual tax-free
pension allowance from £40,000 to £60,000 and remove the lifetime
allowance charge. These changes will ensure doctors are not
disincentivised from remaining in their NHS roles or taking on
extra hours, meaning more expertise will be retained so we can
continue treating patients and helping to cut waiting lists.
This is alongside wider changes to the NHS Pension Scheme to make
retirement more flexible and support staff to remain in work for
longer. These changes include allowing retired and partially
retired staff to return to work or increase their working hours
without having payments to their pension reduced or suspended,
fixing the unintended impacts of inflation so senior clinicians
are not taxed more than necessary and ensuring staff can continue
to access the scheme when working in Primary Care Networks.
Around 22,000 senior NHS clinicians could exceed the previous
£40,000 annual allowance in 2023/24 and around 31,000 clinicians
have reached at least 75% of the £1.073 million lifetime
allowance.
These changes will mean more senior clinicians will be
incentivised to stay in the workforce and work as many hours as
they want, helping boost the workforce as the NHS continues to
tackle the backlogs.
Health and Social Care Secretary, , said:
“It’s crucial we have a sustainable workforce as we build a
stronger, healthier NHS for the long term with patients at its
centre.
"We are making progress in training and recruiting a record
number of staff - with over 48,700 more compared to a year ago
and the NHS will soon publish a workforce plan focused on
recruiting and retaining more staff.
“Today’s pension changes will also help boost numbers of senior
clinicians – so we can continue delivering high quality care for
patients.”
NHS England will publish a comprehensive workforce strategy this
year to help recruit and retain more staff, with independently
verified forecasts for the number of doctors, nurses and other
professionals that will be needed in five, 10 and 15 years’ time.
Notes to editors
