Nursing Job Numbers Around the UK

Supply and Demand: Nursing Roles Across the UK

Nurses represent the backbone of the UK's healthcare industry, taking on vital medical, administrative and support roles in every kind of medical institution. Careers in nursing are challenging and fulfilling, offering employees the chance to make a difference to the lives of thousands of patients every day. Although nursing is vital to both the NHS and Britain's private organisations, many observers are predicting a coming crisis - and pointing to growing deficit in skilled nurses available to take vacant positions.

To get to the bottom of Britain's perceived nursing crisis, we took a closer look at the demand for nurses across the UK. We broke down our results by geographic area and by the type of nursing role advertised. If you are planning on becoming a nurse, the results of our survey may help you decide what direction you want your career to take...

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Nursing opportunities

From the results of our research, it was clear that nursing opportunities are available throughout the country, offering different opportunities in a variety of nursing disciplines. Confirming media reports, however, demand for skilled nurses exceeded supply in dozens of areas.

One significant nationwide deficit came in the field of acute care - which saw applications for only a fraction of advertised nursing jobs. Acute roles involve caring for patients with serious injuries, recovering from surgery, or any intensive but short-term-type care. Acute care nurses were in high demand across almost every region in England - especially in London and the South.

Community nurses were also in demand in locations across the UK. Typically, community care nurses take their skills beyond hospital wards into a variety of contexts, including out-patient clinics, community centres, schools, nurseries and private residences. In many parts of the UK, including Wales, the North East and the East Midlands, the number of advertised community care nursing jobs was particularly high. Similarly to acute care roles the number of registered general nurse (RGN) jobs advertised across the country exceeded the number of applicants applying to them, suggesting that there are strong opportunities for highly trained nurses throughout the UK. RGNs are nurses who have completed their three year training period and have registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council: RGNs were needed in Scotland, northern England, Yorkshire and the Humber and the East Midlands.

Nursing roles remain crucial to every aspect of Britain's the healthcare industry and the research showed demand for certain specialities was high in different areas of the country. Mental health nurses were in particular demand in the North West of England, the East Midlands and the East, while specialised accident and emergency nurses were sought in the North West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and in London.

Finding your place...

The demand for nurses at every level of healthcare indicates the impending nursing crisis is not as straightforward as some may think. The results of our research show successful, fulfilling careers are possible in every corner of Britain - for nurses with sufficient training and specialisation. If you are still searching for your start in the healthcare industry, finding that ideal nursing position may be a question of learning exactly what opportunities both the territory around you, and territories further afield, hold.

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