The numbers of professionally qualified clinical staff, doctors, nurses, scientific, therapeutic and technical staff and support to clinical staff in the NHS are at record levels, latest data shows.
The number of nurses in the NHS increased by 12,131 in the year to March 2020, compared to same period in the previous year, according to the monthly NHS workforce data by NHS Digital.
The number of doctors has risen by 6,629 in the same period.
“It’s fantastic to see record numbers of NHS staff, including 6,000 more doctors and 12,000 more nurses compared to last year,” Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said.
“We will continue to do everything we can to attract and retain our brilliant NHS staff as part of delivering 50,000 more nurses by end of the Parliament,” he added.
NHS now employs over 23,100 more doctors and over 22,000 more nurses, midwives and health visitors than 2010.
The figures do not include any former healthcare professionals who volunteered to return to the frontline to support the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.
