East Lancashire NHS trusts number of resignations revealed

However, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust bucked the trend, with fewer resignations.

A record number of staff left their posts at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust last year, new figures show.

It comes as the number of resignations across England rocketed, with nursing, doctor and midwife trade unions highlighting poor pay and a lack of mental and physical support as critical reasons for the exodus.

NHS Digital figures, which are rounded to the nearest five, show around 450 NHS staff resigned from their roles at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust in 2021-22.

This was up from approximately 305 in 2019-20 – the year leading up to the coronavirus pandemic – and the highest number since records began a decade earlier.

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Kate Quinn, Executive Director of People and Culture for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Like all NHS organisations we work really hard to attract people and invest heavily to ensure we not only recruit the best people, but that we create a supportive environment helping them to remain here at the Trust to provide safe, personal and effective care to our communities.

“We are also really proud of the number of student nurses and doctors who choose to continue their career with us after completing their placements and studies and would encourage everyone to take a look at the current exciting opportunities available to start a career in the NHS.

“We are one of the largest employers in the area, so it’s natural that we see some colleagues leave.

"In 2022, the Trust welcomed 1,311 new starters including 195 medical or dental and 192 nursing and midwifery professionals.

"We’d encourage anyone interested in joining us and making a real difference in their communities to please take a look at our website for more information about current vacancies.”

However, fewer staff left their posts at Lancashire and South Cumbria Trust last year than before the coronavirus pandemic.

Figures show 375 NHS staff resigned from their roles at Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust in 2021-22.

This was down from approximately 385 in 2019-20, the year leading up to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rob Cragg, Chief People Officer from Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust said: “At Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust we recognise that our colleagues are our greatest asset therefore we have invested significantly to support them in their role and ensure they feel valued within our organisation.

“We have implemented ‘Our People, Improvement and Culture Strategy’ setting out the steps required to create a great and safe place to work and learn.

“As part of that strategy we have launched various initiatives allowing staff to share key information and learning with colleagues across the trust, ensuring inclusion of colleagues at all levels, across a range of geographical areas and teams.

“Our strategy further focuses on improving access to on-going professional education, cultivating approaches to flexible working, and enhancing staff health and well-being, all of which are essential aspects the NHS most focus on to improve staff retention in the here and now.

“The strategy is part of an ongoing process, but one we are proud of and clearly seeing positive results.”

Across the country, 140,000 staff members resigned last year – up from 99,000 the year before – while an average of 101,000 staff resigned annually in the nine years before the pandemic.

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The figures cover medical and administration staff. A resignation does not necessarily mean the staff member has left the NHS altogether, as the figures also include any promotions and relocations.

Among the departures across England last year were 30,740 nurses and health visitors who voluntarily left their posts – the highest number on record and a 13 per cent increase on 2019-20.

Of them, 70 were based at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust – up from 45 in 2019-20 whilst 90 were based at Lancashire and South Cumbria Trust – though this was down from 100 in 2019-20.

Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "Years of underinvestment – including a decade of real-terms pay cuts – means record numbers of staff are leaving the NHS.

"Staff are leaving, realising they can get similar or better pay in supermarkets and retail without the stress of the job, and poor pay is creating severe staff shortages and making patients unsafe.

"Nurses, patients, and the public deserve better than a government that won’t listen."

The Royal College of Midwifery also said falling pay is a primary issue for many who leave the profession.

An RCM spokesperson said: "Midwives have seen over a decade of pay stagnation and feel undervalued and burnt out.

"Now is the time for the Government to act – to offer midwives a decent pay deal and start tackling the serious problems facing our maternity services."

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A record 2,260 midwives voluntarily resigned across England in 2021-22 – including around five at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust.

The Department for Health and Social Care said it has given one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year, as well as a three per cent cost-of-living pay increase last year.

A comprehensive workforce strategy to help recruit and retain more staff will be published this year, a spokesperson added.

They said: "There are already record numbers of staff working in the NHS, with 4,700 more doctors and over 10,500 more nurses compared to last year, and we are committed to 50,000 more nurses in the NHS by the end of this parliament."