"Don't take nursing for granted" RCN warns as welsh nursing vacancies rise by 1000.

The Royal College of Nursing in Wales is warning Health Minister Eluned Morgan not to take nursing for granted, as vacancies in the profession soar.

In the RCN Wales Annual Workforce Report, it highlighted that nursing vacancies in Wales rose by nearly 1000 in 2022, growing from 1719 to 2017.

The same report showed Welsh nurses worked an extra 69,877 hours every week. This is equivalent to over 1800 full-time nurses.

This report comes in the shadow of months of industrial action from the RCN, with a deal being struck with the Welsh Government just last month. Staff had gone on strike due to pay and working conditions.

Helen Whyley, RCN Wales Director, said ''There is no doubt that if you want people to stay, you have to reward them properly."

''You have to pay them a salary that means that they can sustain a family life and a good existence in Wales."

Whyley also said that, whilst the Welsh Government had done some work to improve nursing in Wales, there was still a long way for them to go.

''Welsh government have to realise they have a Welsh problem in Welsh hospitals for Welsh patients. Devolution gives them the authority to try and deal with those issues."

''We also have to find our own solutions within our own budgets to figure out how to move some of these issues forward."

We approached the Health Minister Eluned Morgan for comment.

In a statement, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Our National Workforce Implementation Plan (NWIP) sets out how we will retain and increase the NHS Wales workforce to meet future demand and deal with a worldwide shortage of healthcare workers, including reducing reliance on agency staff."

"We have increased our training budget for the ninth year in a row to £281m this year, creating an extra 527 training places, including more than 380 more nurse training places. Since 2017, nurse training places have increased by 54.3% and midwifery training places increased by 41.8%."

"On 22 September, the HEIW published their nurse retention plan, in response to the NWIP, which will support organisations in addressing challenges in nurse retention in Wales.”

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