NHS staff are ‘leaving hospitals to stack shelves in supermarkets for more money’

Hospital staff are quitting their jobs to stack shelves in supermarkets because they can earn more money, NHS bosses have said.

NHS Providers, which represents almost all of England’s NHS trusts, warned politicians that they must address workforce concerns in the general election campaign.

It said that the combination of poor pay, Brexit’s impact and the lack of a long-term healthcare strategy is taking its toll on staff.

In a paper published on Monday, NHS Providers said the biggest challenge is holding on to hospital workers.

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‘Years of pay restraint and stressful working conditions are taking their toll,’ said chief executive Chris Hopson.

‘Pay is becoming uncompetitive. Significant numbers of trusts say lower paid staff are leaving to stack shelves in supermarkets rather than carry on working in the NHS.

‘And we are getting consistent reports of retention problems because of working pressures in the health service causing stress and burnout.’

Mr Hopson said workforce concerns have become the NHS’s ‘number one priority’ because of the effect it can have on patients.

He added: ‘Growing problems of recruitment and retention are making it harder for trusts to ensure patient safety.

‘Unsustainable staffing gaps are quickly opening up in hospitals, mental health and community trusts and ambulance services.

‘Trusts are reporting that the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, and the failure to reassure EU nationals about their long-term future, mean that vital recruitment from EU countries is dropping rapidly.

‘Yet all the evidence shows that staff who are happy and motivated provide better care.

‘NHS Trusts want to see strategic solutions in place dealing with pay, the supply and demand of staff, retention and training. But they tell us they see no sustainable long term plans in place.’

NHS Providers said it wants whatever government that is in place after June’s general election to work with NHS bodies on agreeing a long-term approach to workforce planning.

It said the current pay cap on NHS staff, restricting pay rises to 1% a year until 2019, needs to be lifted.

It also said there are insufficient mental health nurses, leading to delays in treatment and longer recovery times for patients.

There is also a shortage of A&E consultants, paramedics and community nurses, NHS Providers said.

Last year, the Public Accounts Committee said the NHS in England was 50,000 people short of the front-line staff it needed.