Stressed nurses are quitting at the rate of 81 every week.
Last year, 4,231 left the NHS because of the demands of their job – nearly four times as many as 10 years ago.
The shocking figures emerged as nurses are about to vote on further crippling strike action in England.
Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, told us: “Poor work-life balance is a core reason why so many of my valued colleagues have walked out of the NHS, most likely never to come back.
“Your 12-hour shift often becomes 13 or 14 – with the extra hours unpaid – to help plug the gaps.
“You get home after the children are in bed and leave again before they wake. It takes a heavy personal toll.”
In 2022, a total of 40,365 nurses left their jobs – up 25% on the previous year. Of those, 4,231 wanted a better work-life balance and 6,329 were retiring. Ten years ago, the number who left citing work-life balance was 1,179 – or 23 a week.
NHS figures show there were 43,619 nurse vacancies in the quarter ending December 2022.
Ms Cullen said: “Not only are people retiring early but now they quit in the first years of their career, too.
"Rishi Sunak's NHS leaves my colleagues in stress, burnout, and takes away the joy of what nursing should be. This is why our members took historic action – a cry for help.”
Fourteen unions have accepted a 5% pay offer but the RCN wants 5% above inflation. The new ballot will run May 23 to June 23.
RCN director for England Patricia Marquis added: “Unless the crisis is addressed to make nursing a more attractive profession, patient care will continue to be put at risk.”
The Department of Health said the wellbeing of staff “is of paramount importance”. It added: “To ease pressures on staff, the NHS will publish a long-term plan to support and grow the workforce.”
The Government ignored nurses and pushed more out of the NHS
By Pat Cullen, General Secretary of the RCN
After the pandemic, nurses believed things would be different. They believed ministers when they stood outside and clapped for them.
But things have gotten worse. Instead, this government has ignored them, pushed its own nurses onto picket lines and even slapped us with court orders.
But as they have ignored the voice of nursing, the result has been to push more and more nursing staff out of the NHS.
These numbers hit right at the heart of why our members have been taking strike action, as the exodus of nurses cannot continue.
Poor work-life balance is a core reason why so many of my valued colleagues have walked out of the NHS door, most likely never to come back.
Your 12-hour shift very often becomes 13 or 14 – with the extra hours unpaid – to help plug the gaps.
You get home after the children are in bed and leave again before they wake. It takes a heavy personal toll.
When a nurse can earn the same salary for less pressure and a better balance then too many decide they cannot do it.
Not only are people retiring early but now they quit in the first years of their career too.
The other day, I heard about a nurse who’d left after just three weeks and my heart broke a little.
What did they witness in just a matter of days to make them give up on years of education, hard work and ambition?
It is shameful, but sadly little surprise, that we have tens of thousands of vacant nurse jobs in England. Breaking new records each year.
Rishi Sunak’s NHS leaves my colleagues in constant stress, burnout, and takes away the joy of what nursing should be.
We sadly all know the impact that nurses being pushed out the profession every week because of the lack of work-life balance has on patients.
Patients are on the receiving end of care that is less safe, with cancelled appointments and too many sitting on waiting lists for months.
This is why our members took historic action, to turn the tide for their patients and their colleagues. A cry for help.
And the support of Mirror readers has been second to none.
As we begin to re-ballot our members next week, the Prime Minister and Health Secretary should realise there is another way to end this dispute.
They should listen to the voice of nursing, get to the table to negotiate with me and start to turn this NHS around.
