Survey finds that staff shortages across the NHS are having a ‘serious and detrimental impact’ on services and will hinder efforts to tackle major care backlogs and improve access to services.

The NHS Providers survey of trust leaders finds that an overwhelming majority of trust leaders (89 per cent) do not think the NHS has robust plans in place to tackle workforce shortages. This underlines in stark detail health leaders’ fears that ministers do not have a clear strategy to tackle either the estimated 110,000 vacancies across the NHS or the long-term needs of the NHS workforce.

Almost all trust leaders (97 per cent) say that current workforce shortages are having a serious and detrimental impact on services, with the same number saying that the lack of certainty over workforce supply may impact the ability of the NHS to retain staff. Additionally, almost all (98 per cent) say that shortages will slow down progress in tackling the growing care backlog.

There are also worries that the lack of certainty over workforce supply over the next five to ten years will significantly increase 'burnout' and affect staff morale as well as having a negative impact on patients.

Trust leaders overwhelmingly want the government to be required by law to publish regular, independent assessments of how many health and social care staff are needed to keep pace with projected demand over the next five, ten and 20 years.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said: "NHS trusts and their overstretched staff are working incredibly hard to cut waiting times against a backdrop of worryingly high numbers of Covid-19 cases in hospitals, but they’re doing this with one hand tied behind their backs.

"Our survey makes clear the grave consequences of staffing gaps for quality of care, patient safety and staff morale. The message from trust leaders to the government is loud and clear. Take this once in a decade opportunity to tackle long-standing failures in workforce planning and accept the solution offered by the workforce amendment when the health and care bill returns to the House of Commons.

"We need the government to commit to publishing regular assessments of how many health and social care staff are needed to keep pace with projected demand over the next five, ten and 20 years. This action would give NHS staff immediate hope that the government is taking this problem seriously, helping to retain those in the workforce today.

"A failure to do so would almost inevitably compound staff shortages and workforce 'burnout', just as the NHS strives to reduce backlogs in care. The government must set out how it plans to tackle 110,000 NHS staff vacancies and make workloads sustainable. A long-term plan for a resilient workforce is vital."