Thousands of agency staff could leave the NHS and social care services in the next two years, new research has suggested. More than 20,000 agency staff work across health and social care in the UK - but now a poll of 10,000 workers has revealed nearly one in five could leave their jobs by 2026. The poll, carried out by consultancy Acacium Group, showed 24 per cent of those surveyed reported feel overstretched at work.
Key reasons for agency workers wanting to leave the NHS and social care included concerns over poor working conditions leading to staff burnout and a lack of support from managers. A third of workers surveyed said their main driver for doing agency work is the flexibility of hours and nine per cent said it was down to the work-life balance. Olivia Swain, 29, who has worked as an agency paediatric nurse in the North East since 2019 after moving from a permanent NHS role, told researchers: “While I love my job, the transition into a flexible role has its challenges.
You have to learn to adapt quickly. Sometimes I don’t have a login or password for computer systems or swipe access cards, which can be incredibly obstructive and puts undue pressure on colleagues. “This can be a particular issue if I need quick access to patient records or to complete a referral.
” Data for the NHS suggests it had 125,572 vacancies as of June 2023 and, according to think tank the Nuffield Trust, an estimated four in five vacancies are being filled by temporary staff, either thr.
