More doctors and nurses for Devon

Compared to last year

Devon has seen a significant increase in the number of doctors and nurses working in the NHS, new data shows.

There are 225 more doctors and 461 more nurses in Devon compared to last year.

The number of doctors has increased from 2,543 to 2,768 – a jump of more than 8%. Which is also the case for the number of nurses, including health visitors, has gone up from 5,793 to 6,254.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (12%), Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (9.4%), University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (7.8%), Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (6.9%) and Devon Partnership NHS Trust (5.7%) have all seen significant increases in doctors.

It is a similar story with nurses, with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (17.2%), Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (7.7%) and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (5.8%) leading the way.

Overall, the number of doctors across England has increased by 9,306 compared to last year, while the number of nurses has risen by 13,840. All professionally-qualified clinical staff, doctors, paramedics and support to clinical staff are now at record levels.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “It is fantastic to see we have record numbers of staff working in our NHS, and as set out last month in the NHS People Plan, we must strive to make the NHS the best possible place to work for all.

“This will help us retain more of our hardworking staff and ensure the NHS can continue to protect us, as we protected it throughout the peak of this pandemic.

“With the latest UCAS figures already showing a 14% rise in people accepting places on nursing courses in England, we are well on our way to delivering 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament.

“We have protected the NHS, and we are investing record sums into the NHS, hiring more doctors and nurses so the NHS is always there for you and your family.”