Doctors: Labour Turnover and Recruitment
(asked on 22nd November 2022) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many registered medical practitioners have (1) left, and (2) joined, NHS employment, in each year since 2015.
The following table shows the number of Hospital and Community Health Service doctors which have joined and left active service in the National Health Service hospital trusts and commissioning bodies in June of each year since 2014.
Period | Number of leavers | Number of joiners |
June 2014 to June 2015 | 15,507 | 17,963 |
June 2015 to June 2016 | 17,222 | 17,950 |
June 2016 to June 2017 | 16,109 | 19,164 |
June 2017 to June 2018 | 16,580 | 19,524 |
June 2018 to June 2019 | 18,413 | 21,670 |
June 2019 to June 2020 | 17,114 | 26,243 |
June 2020 to June 2021 | 17,806 | 20,915 |
June 2021 to June 2022 | 19,846 | 24,207 |
Source: NHS Digital workforce statistics
This includes those staff moving to or joining from settings such as primary care and general practice. This movement is commonplace with the rotations of placements undertaken by doctors in training grades. It will also include staff who choose to take breaks from active service such as career breaks and maternity or paternity leave.