Nurses are dedicated to saving lives.
So it is both a national scandal and heartbreakingly tragic that so many are taking their own.
Today we reveal that 300 nurses killed themselves over seven years.
It’s also troubling to learn that suicide among nurses is 23 per cent higher than the national average.
It’s complex, so it would be wrong to attempt instant judgements about why its prevalence is greater in the nursing profession.
But eight years of Tory cuts, leaving the NHS 40,000 nurses short, may well be a contributory factor.
More than 300 overworked NHS nurses have died by suicide in just seven years
The work of a nurse brings them face-to-face with unimaginable trauma, constant heartache and the stress of caring for others at what is often the worst point in their lives.
Low pay, long hours and overwhelming responsibility may also play their part in the development of mental illness.
But whatever is causing this can only be adequately dealt with if it is fully investigated.
Which is why shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth is absolutely right – the Government must launch a proper inquiry.
