NHS workforce growth continues

Further figures show that there are now 31,210 consultants working in the NHS and 32,190 GPs, steady increases since the December 2004 census. The continued drop in vacancy figures, together with increase in staff numbers, suggests that the NHS is beginning to balance supply and demand in the main staff groups. Lord Warner commented: “The latest figures show fewer vacancies in all the main staff groups within the NHS. This suggests that the increased demand for healthcare professionals, which was created by the expansion of NHS services, is now beginning to match supply as more NHS jobs are filled. “The growth of workforce in the NHS has been crucial to helping the NHS deliver improvements on areas like waiting times, coronary heart disease, cancer treatment and access to services – but I know there is more work to do. “The challenge is to develop new ways of working so that staff can work more productively, delivering quality services that are centred on patients’ needs.”