The number of nurses to each patient in the UK has dropped in the last four years, official figures show.
Statistics from the House of Commons Library show that, in May 2014 the number of nurses in the UK had fallen to 5,182 per million people compared to 5,364 in May 2010.
Although there remained a total of 281,000 full-time nurses in the UK, a growth in the UK population has meant an increase in demand and there are concerns that public health challenges coupled with an aging population will put an even greater strain on nurses in the future.
An analysis by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence conducted last year suggests that the number of nurses will have dropped by five per cent by 2016. The Labour Party has pledged that it will invest further in the UK if elected in next year’s General Election and recruit an extra 20,000 nurses by 2020.
Chris Woods, Medical Negligence Solicitor at Russell Worth solicitors said: “These figures are concerning as a shortfall in nurses puts existing medical professionals under immense pressure which could result in mistakes being made.
“The government must acknowledge these latest figures and address the problems being faced in the nursing profession today. By implementing a plan to tackle the issues that these figures suggest, we will work towards filling these gaps in a sustainable way.”