Alison Stacey

Number of newly registered nurses and midwives leaving the professions has jumped by almost 50% at a time when nurse recruitment is slowing. The scale of departures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council register is a devastating result of low pay, understaffing and burnout, according to a nurse leader. The proportion who quit the NMC register within five years rose by 48.6%. Almost half of nurses and midwives now joining are internationally educated, with the largest group coming from India. The NMC cautioned that leavers’ data should be viewed in the context of a record overall number on the register.

As nurses struggle to cope with staffing and workload pressures, professional expectations, traumatic work events and toxic environments, some resort to harmful behaviours to self-manage stress, anxiety or poor mental health. One study estimates rates of substance misuse, abuse and addiction are as high as 20% among nurses. We explore reasons why nurses hesitate to seek help, and what happens if a nurse is referred to the profession’s regulator the Nursing and Midwifery Council for addiction-related issues.

St Pancras Hospital in London has been told to urgently improve safety protocols after a mental health patient died following administration of an anti-psychotic drug, Olanzapine, by a nurse without national guidelines being followed. An inquest cited a 'gross failure' by the hospital to provide basic medical attention. The hospital trust has apologised and announced revised protocols and safety measures to prevent similar tragedies.

A nurse who mistakenly gave patients a steroid jab instead of a contraceptive injection has avoided suspension by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. A fitness to practise hearing heard how the practice nurse administered the anti-inflammatory Depo-Medrone to two patients who were prescribed the contraceptive Depo-Provera in November 2021. When alerted, she said that she ‘could not be certain’ whether she had given the wrong medication, but suggested that she may have recorded the wrong batch number from a discarded box of the steroid.

Survey by the RCN reveals lack of support from employers for nurses with long-COVID, with many revealing inadequate protection at work before they contracted COVID-19, and a lack of recognition of the impact it has had since. The survey report lists recommendations for improvements and calls on the government to recognise long-COVID as an occupational disease for nurses. The RCN wants employers to enhance reasonable adjustments in the workplace and offer a phased return to work for nurses who need support.

The Department of Health and Social Care has submitted evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body for the 2025-26 pay award for nurses and other NHS staff, recommending a rise that has been deemed ‘offensive’ by nurse leaders as it equates to less than the price of a coffee a day. Continuing dissatisfaction with the pay review process and this initial indication of what could be expected next year has stirred talk of the possibility of industrial action and, possibly, strikes.

The Department of Health and Social Care has submitted evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body for the 2025-26 pay award for nurses and other NHS staff, recommending a rise that has been deemed ‘offensive’ by nurse leaders as it equates to just £2 a day, less than the price of a coffee. Continuing dissatisfaction with the pay review process and this initial indication of what could be expected next year has stirred talk of the possibility of industrial action and, possibly, strikes.

With a 14% rise in concerns raised to the Nursing and Midwifery Council in 2023-24, data reveals that rudeness and a lack of compassion are among the top reasons for referrals made by the public. In a report of data from the past five years, it shows the total number of nurses and midwives that have been struck off and insight into who is more likely to be reported and struck off.

With a 14% rise in concerns raised to the Nursing and Midwifery Council in 2023-24, data reveals that rudeness and a lack of compassion are among the top reasons for referrals made by the public. In a report of data from the past five years, it shows the total number of nurses and midwives that have been struck off and insight into who is more likely to be reported and struck off.

Proposals to introduce professional regulation for NHS managers include a ban on working in healthcare where there is a record of serious misconduct or poor perfromance. Nurses have been asked to contribute to a 12-week consultation on the proposals, and there has been a call for clarity over the implications for nurses in management positions.