The NHS is facing "the greatest workforce crisis" in its history, which is putting patients at serious risk of harm, an influential group of MPs will say today.
In its report, the cross-party Commons health and social care select committee criticises the "absence of a credible government strategy" on NHS-wide understaffing and criticises ministers for delaying a blueprint it says is urgently needed to address critical gaps in almost every area of care.
The hard-hitting report includes fresh evidence showing that the staffing crisis in the NHS in England is even worse than official figures suggest.
NHS Digital figures suggest that the service has vacancies for 38,972 nurses and 8,016 doctors. However, the real figures could be as high as 50,000 and 12,000, according to estimates the Nuffield Trust health charity prepared for the MPs.
The trust's analysis accords with the view of many frontline doctors and managers that some posts are not advertised, and thus not picked up by the statistical agency NHS Digital, because hospitals cannot afford to fill them, even if suitable doctors or nurses are identified.
"We now face the greatest workforce crisis in history in the NHS and in social care, with still no idea of the number of additional doctors, nurses and other professionals we actually need," said Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary and failed Tory leadership contender who chairs the committee.
Esta historia es de la edición July 25, 2022 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 25, 2022 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Few runs, and no fairytale, for Ireland in New York
Whatever game the teams are playing out here in New York City, it surely isn't the same one they have in the Indian Premier League.
Field of dreams Reality check for ICC in its romantic plan to draw American hearts to cricket
Thirty million does not go as far as you might hope in Manhattan, where it will just about stretch to a single Chelsea penthouse.
Investors awarded billions in public cash for losses related to climate laws, analysis finds
More than $100bn (£78bn) of public money has been awarded to private investors in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) courts, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet.
Not so Big Mac: Irish restaurant brings McDonald's down to size
The Irish fast food chain Supermac's has won a David v Goliath court battle with McDonald's over the use of the Big Mac trademark, paving the way for it to open outlets across Europe.
Gaza Hunger already causing mass deaths, report warns
Months of extreme hunger have already killed many Palestinians in Gaza and caused permanent damage to children through malnutrition, a food security report has found, even before famine is officially declared.
Israeli Flag Day march through Muslim Jerusalem inflames tensions
Thousands of Israeli religious nationalists paraded through Muslim parts of the Old City of Jerusalem in the annual Flag Day march yesterday, an event that threatens to trigger further violence in the Israel-Hamas war.
Gains expected for populists as Dutch kick off four days of polls
Elections to the world's only transnational assembly get under way in earnest today as Dutch voters go to the polls at the start of a four-day, 27-country ballot that will return 720 MEPS to the next European parliament.
'Acting like colonial rulers' How BJP lost in heartland
It was less than six months ago that Narendra Modi walked solemnly through the ornate surroundings of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and one of its most politically crucial.
Foreign Office 'ineffective for Britons held abroad' - expert
Families of Britons arrested in controversial circumstances abroad should raise concerns promptly in public because Foreign Office \"quiet diplomacy\" is not effective, an expert has warned after the arrest of a former British Royal Marine in Dubai.
Rugby scores for children with Down's syndrome
A rugby team set up for young people with Down's syndrome has been described as a \"lifeline\" by parents who say there is a chronic lack of opportunities for their children.
