NHS doctors and nurses working in Yorkshire and North East increases by nearly 3,000 in Covid year

The number of nurses has increased by 1,880 to 48,976 and the number of doctors rose by 1,031 to 18,710 in figures published today by NHS Digital.

The workforce data up until the end of September also showed that nationally the number of nurses in the NHS increased by 13,313 to 299,184 and the number of doctors rose by 6,030 to122,446.

Across England, nurses, doctors and professionally qualified clinical staff including paramedics are at record levels, as are scientific, therapeutic and technical staff.

Responding to the NHS workforce statistics, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This winter will be challenging as we continue to fight this deadly virus, and I’m hugely grateful to all our staff who continue to save lives and provide care to those who need it.

“I’m delighted that record numbers of doctors and nurses are working in our NHS, plus a record pipeline of future talent in nursing, medicine and general practice.

“We are backing our NHS and thanks to their unrelenting dedication, we will not only beat Covid but secure the future of our health service and deliver on our manifesto commitment of 50,000 more nurses.”

Professionally qualified staff in the North East and Yorkshire rose by 3.9 per cent from 95,842 to 99,594.

The overall annual change for all staff in the region was up 3.7 per cent from September 2019 to September 2020.

The final figures from this year’s admission cycle show there were 29,740 acceptances to nursing and midwifery courses in England which is 6,110 more than last year and an increase of 26% per cent.

The number of new nursing applicants to English providers between January 15 and June 30 was 68 per cent (4,600) higher than the same period last year.

Recent figures for this year also show the highest ever number of GPs entering training with 3,793 posts accepted, which exceeds the mandated target of 3,250.

Health Education England has increased GP trainee acceptances year on year for the last seven years.

Over the summer the NHS People Plan set out how the NHS will put staff wellbeing at its heart with a new recruitment, retention and support package.

It sets out practical support for wellbeing such as safe spaces to rest and recuperate, wellbeing guardians and support to keep staff physically safe and healthy.

The NHS also recently announced £15 million to strengthen mental health support for nurses, paramedics, therapists, pharmacists, and support staff.

Staff will get rapid access to expanded mental health services that are being rolled out across the country as part of efforts to deal with the second wave of coronavirus.