NHS staff and resource investment needed
With recent figures from NHS digital revealing that more than 86,000 NHS posts in England were vacant in the first quarter of this year, a rise of 10 per cent since last year, more must be done to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the NHS.
In the West Midlands almost 7,800 posts lay vacant, up from over 7,000 in the previous year, as thinly stretched services are being pushed close to breaking point to address the shortfall.
NHS staff right across the profession are struggling to manage unsustainable workloads as the inevitable toll of increasing pressure is leading to lower morale amongst staff who are dealing with higher instances of stress and burnout.
Despite the best efforts of staff, patient care will continue to deteriorate unless the government takes urgent steps to incentivise staff with better working conditions in an environment they feel supported in.
This requires investment in recruitment and resources as failure to do so will only exacerbate what is already a worrying situation for both patients and staff.
Dr Stephen Millar, BMA West Midlands regional council chair
