Rise in number of NHS managers in Yorkshire

Latest figures show a 10.4 per cent increase in the number of senior health service managers in the region between 2014 and 2015 and a 5.3 per cent rise in managers.

But the data, from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors has fallen by 0.1 per cent and nurses and midwives by 0.3 per cent, at a time when hospital admissions are on the rise.

Compared to 2009, there are now almost 2,500 fewer NHS nurses and midwives working in the region – a drop which a nursing body called “totally unacceptable”.

Glenn Turp, regional director for the Royal College of Nursing in Yorkshire and The Humber, said: “It defies logic when, over the same period, demand on the NHS has grown so much that many hospitals are saying pressures that were once confined to the winter are now an all-year-round occurrence.

“We have warned repeatedly that nursing staff are working under relentless pressure to keep patients safe and well cared-for. The Government must commit to train and retain more nurses to make up for their misguided cuts to the workforce in the past few years and ensure there are enough nurses to give patients the safe and high-quality care they deserve.”

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “There are 5,000 fewer managers in the NHS since 2010, saving the taxpayer £300m.

“At the same time, there are 10,600 more nurses on our wards, 50,000 nurses currently in training and our changes to student funding will create up to 10,000 more training places by the end of this parliament.”