Nursing vacancies plague Welsh NHS

Welsh hospitals reportedly need 2000 extra nurses

Up to 2,000 additional nurses are needed to address NHS shortages across Wales according to the Royal College of Nursing.

The claim comes on the day the Welsh Assembly released figures showing that 794 nursing vacancies exist across the country.

The numbers are down by just one compared to six months ago, despite a rise in the overall numbers of staff since last year.

Around 1000 Filipino nurses are working in hospitals across Wales

Health trusts across Wales have searched as far a field as the Philippines for staff over the past three years, with Filipino nurses now filling 1,000 posts.

But the health service statistics show nearly 1,500 jobs across the sector have remained vacant for more than three months.

Richard Jones, deputy board secretary of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, agreed with a comment by Assembly Health Minister Jane Hutt that services were expanding.

But he said there had been no progress in reducing staff shortages.

"We are a much bigger health service in Wales than we were a few years ago and I think there are a lot of problems with people leaving the profession.

There is not that flexibility in the health service that there should be.

Richard Jones

"People are still leaving because they have family commitments and there is not that flexibility in the health service that there should be."

He highlighted inadequate childcare facilities within the NHS as a factor in staff leaving.

"Crèche facilities are a vital component and in lots of areas facilities are either full or they are not working the hours needed to cover the shifts," he explained.

Mr Jones claimed that inadequate pay and high stress levels also played a part in forcing people out.

He added: "The minister in England has set targets of 35,000 recruits in the next few years.

Health Minister Jane Hutt says Welsh NHS services are expanding

"Jane Hutt has refused to set targets in Wales. There is no definition of what is a vacancy in Wales.

"We estimate that we require 2000 nurses to actually do anything as far as the waiting lists are concerned."

The RCN wants to see a proper recruitment campaign put in place for Wales.

Health Minister Jane Hutt said 440 more nurses, midwives and health visitors had been recruited in 2002.

"Our recruitment strategies are going to serve to address the need to recruit and retain nurses, midwives and health visitors," she added.

The hospital says there is a shortage of anaesthetists

As well as the nursing shortages, there are also 136 medical and dental posts available in addition to rising vacancies in areas such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Figures show Wales spends more than £25m a year to employ temporary staff in NHS posts.

A hospital in south West Wales is having to redirect emergency patients after 1700 BST because of a shortage of specialist doctors.

Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli blamed the closure on a lack of anaesthetists.