Thousands Of Workers Set To Leave Health And Social Care

Thousands of agency staff could leave the NHS and social care services in the next two years, new research has suggested.

- REBECCA THOMAS

More than 20,000 agency staff work across health and social care in the UK – but now a poll of 10,000 workers has revealed that nearly one in five could leave their job by 2026.

In the poll, carried out by consultancy Acacium Group, 24 per cent of those surveyed reported feeling overstretched at work. Key reasons for agency workers wanting to leave the NHS and social care included concerns over poor working conditions leading to staff burnout, and a lack of support from managers.

A third of workers surveyed said their main driver for doing agency work is the flexibility of hours, and 9 per cent said it was the work-life balance.

Olivia Swain, 29, who has worked as an agency paediatric nurse in the North East since 2019 after moving from a permanent NHS role, told researchers: “While I love my job, the transition into a flexible role has its challenges. You have to learn to adapt quickly.