Portsmouth area received 80-strong NHS staff influx at peak of coronavirus pandemic

Statistics published from PA Radar show that almost two dozen workers joined the Solent NHS Trust in April, with more than 50 joining Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Queen Alexandra Hospital, at the same time.

This influx of staff came during the first peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Across England, there were 12,839 extra members of NHS staff in April, of whom 3,008 were professionally qualified clinical staff such as doctors and nurses.

Among the recruits in April were 1,151 junior doctors, who had just graduated from medical school. Many final-year students were approved for early graduation to help ease the pressure on the NHS.

Susan Masters, director of nursing at the Royal College of Nursing, said: ‘This shows exactly why a long-term plan to ensure there’s enough nursing staff to meet our needs is so desperately needed.

‘Recently, almost a third of our members told us in a survey they were considering leaving nursing.

‘If the government values the efforts of those students and others who stepped up to tackle Covid-19, it must take steps to retain the nursing staff we have, as well as to increase entry into the profession including an early and meaningful pay rise and tuition fee support for nursing students.’

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, there were also 442 former healthcare professionals who returned to the front line.

Health think-tank the Nuffield Trust said many of the additional staff recruited through the student route would have been expected to join the NHS in the autumn anyway.

The group has warned the NHS faces problems with retention, overseas recruitment, and sickness absences due to stress or burnout in the wake of the crisis.

Dr Billy Palmer said: ‘What is crucial now is that we persuade these new staff to stay by giving them good prospects and a positive environment.

‘We can't let a wave of people coming in turn into a wave of people leaving in a few years' time.’

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