NHS Staffing Crisis: worst labor crisis in UK history

UK -United Kingdom’s state run NHS (National Health Service) is struggling amid its worst ever staffing crisis. With mass resignations and thousands of staff vacancies, the country might face the worst healthcare crisis due to labor shortage in history of UK. 

This will be a big challenge for the new UK Prime Minister who will replace Boris Johnson in September. 

“We now face the greatest workforce crisis in history in the NHS,” said Jeremy Hunt, chair of parliament’s cross-party Health and Social Care Committee and a former health minister. “Persistent understaffing in the NHS poses a serious risk to staff and patient safety, a situation compounded by the absence of a long term plan by the government to tackle it.”

At present, England is short of 12,000 hospital doctors and more than 50,000 mid wives and nurses. A report by MPs says that lack of cohesive plan to plug the gap in staffing might further threaten plans to tackle the Covid-19 treatment backlog in country and fracture the country’s healthcare framework. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who chairs the Commons health and social care select committee that produced the report said, “Persistent understaffing in the NHS poses a serious risk to staff and patient safety, a situation compounded by the absence of a long-term plan by the government to tackle it.”

Keep Reading

Simon, a psychologist, has worked in NHS through his entire career. But next year he is leaving the sector completely. He says the final driving force for him has been pay hike this year which is much below the inflation. “I now feel totally unvalued and taken advantage of. I could have earned twice as much in the private sector, but I stuck with the NHS for my whole career. I can’t blame my employers, their hands are tied by national budgets.” 

“We truly are in a crisis. We’ve been in economic downturns, but nothing as bad as this.”

“Without the creation of meaningful professional development structures, and better contracts with improved pay and training, social care will remain a career of limited attraction, even when it is desperately needed,” the report said.

Ayswarya Murthy

Ayswarya Murthy is a political journalist. She came to writing through an interest in politics.

Recent Posts

How to Claim a Federal Income Tax Return in the US: Step-by-Step Guide for 2026

The knowledge of how to file a Federal Income tax return in the US is crucial to all individuals who…

January 20, 2026

Is Being “Always Available” the New Face of Wage Theft in Modern Workplaces?

The modern-day working environment has become a constantly connected one, where workers are likely to receive calls, email messages, and…

January 20, 2026

The Invasion of the South: How Saudi-Backed Escalation is Fueling Chaos

For years, the international community has been fed a narrative of “legitimacy” and “security operations” regarding the presence of northern…

January 20, 2026

US Tech Sector Layoffs Hit 15,000 in January as AI Restructuring Accelerates

The year has begun with a stark reality check for the technology industry, as US tech sector layoffs surged past…

January 19, 2026

The most cited statistic at the WEF opening today is from the Future of Jobs 2025 report: “39% of current workforce skills will be obsolete by 2030”

The world of work is on the edge of a historic revolution, with artificial intelligence, geo-economics and green energy change…

January 19, 2026

Fortress Europe 2.0: The “ProtectEU” Strategy

As the European Union enters 2026, the bloc has officially pivoted to a "security-first" doctrine with the full activation of…

January 19, 2026

This website uses cookies.

Read More