Facts on NHS staff

Nurse pay up over the past few years but down on 2010

Matt Hancock claimed nurse salaries had risen significantly in recent years. These increases don’t counterbalance falls in real terms pay over the past decade.

Claim that Conservatives voted against a nurse pay rise needs some context

In 2017 the Conservatives voted against a Labour amendment aiming to end the public sector pay rise cap, before ending it themselves anyway for the next financial year.

The Royal College of Nursing hasn’t told nurses to call women by gender-neutral terms

The Royal College of Nursing’s style guide recommended using the word “women” instead of “ladies”. This is for official RCN documentation and not advice to nurses.

What is the total number of vacancies in the NHS for medical and support staff?

This article is part of our Ask Full Fact series on the 2019 general election, answering your questions about the election, from claims the main parties are making to what happens on polling day.

UK has one of the highest levels of foreign-born doctors and nurses in the EU

A Telegraph columnist’s comments exaggerate by claiming the UK is the only EU country with a health service heavily dependent on foreign staff.

Lib Dem claims about EU health workers and the NHS are generally true

It is true that tens of thousands of NHS staff are from other EU countries, and that other EU nursing numbers have noticeably dropped.

Claim about social care spending and nurse numbers needs more context

Just under 97,000 nurses voluntarily resigned from the NHS in England between 2010 and 2018. Overall the number of nurses working in the NHS is higher than in 2010.

GP numbers: up or down?

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn clashed over the trend in GP numbers at PMQs, but they were talking about different things.

Have 200,000 nurses quit the NHS?

This is the total number of nurses and health visitors who have left the NHS in England in the last eight years, for any reason.

EU staff in the NHS: what has happened since the referendum?

EU nationals make up a similar percentage of the NHS workforce in England now as they did in 2016.