Four out of five healthcare workers have considered leaving their job in the NHS, according to a Guardian survey conducted last year. It found almost half (43%) said they felt unreasonably stressed at work most or all of the time.
And staff aren’t just thinking about quitting, a worrying number are actually doing it. In March 2016 it was reported that more than 1,260 mental health nurses left the NHS in the past year alone.
There are around 23,443 general nursing vacancies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – around 9% of the workforce. Paramedic numbers have also taken a hammering. More than 1,000 paramedics left the ambulance service between April 2014 and March 2015, compared to just 566 between 2010 and 2011.
Have you thought about leaving the NHS? Or perhaps you’ve taken the leap and already left? What made you go? What did you do next – become a medical journalist or go into research? Or did you go for a completely different career?
Share your stories with us in the form below.
