Nursing numbers in Britain: the argument for workforce planning

British Medical Journal, April 15, 2000 by James Buchan, Nigel Edwards

Summary points

Britain has a serious shortage of nurses, as well as problems in recruiting and retaining them

It is not simply that there are too few nurses; some key skills shortages also exist, with increasing demand for more qualified staff in some areas

Much better planning of the workforce is required, and this needs to be more integrated with the planning for other groups in health care

A change in the pay system may help, but the creation of better work environments may be part of the solution

The rapid pace of change in the nursing profession has produced a challenge that the NHS needs to address

We thank Alastair Henderson of the NHS Confederation for help with the workload data.

Competing interests: None declared.

[1] Buchan J. Abroad minded. Health Service Journal 2000;6 Jan:20-1.

[2] Department of Health. Guidance on international nursing recruitment. London: DoH, 1999.

[3] Department of Health. Statistics Bulletin. London: DoH, 1998. (Bulletin No 1999/12).

[4] Buchan J, Seccombe I, Smith G. Nurses work: an analysis of the UK nursing labour market. Ashgate: Aldershot, 1998.

[5] House of Commons Select Committee on Health. Third report: future NHS staffing requirements. London: Stationery Office, 1999.

Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Care, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh EH12 8TS

James Buchan profesor

NHS Confederation, 26 Chapter Street, London SW1P 4ND Nigel Edwards director of policy

Correspondence to: J Buchan JBuchan JBuchan@gmuc.ac.uk