Bolton: Royal Bolton NHS Trust staff resignations at record high

NHS Digital figures, which are rounded to the nearest five, show around 630 NHS staff resigned from their roles at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in 2021-22.

This was an increase of around 42 per cent from approximately 445 in 2019-20 – the year leading up to the coronavirus pandemic – and the highest number since records began a decade earlier.

Additionally, around 800 staff also resigned from their roles at Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust, which also covers Bolton. That is also a record and also an increase of 42 per cent from 565 over the same time period.

When compared neighbouring trusts, the Northern Care Alliance, which covers Bury, Salford, Rochdale, and Oldham, saw an increase in resignations of 81 per cent, whereas Pennine Care, which has services in across Greater Manchester, saw a reduction in resignations numbers by 16 per cent.

NHS staff have been striking throughout the country recently (Image: Radar)

UNISON, the union which represents many staff at the hospital, has described the recruitment and retention situation at Royal Bolton as "concerning".

Its regional organiser Lyndsey Marchant added: “It is symptomatic of the wider pay issues that have forced UNISON ambulance staff and other UNISON members to go out on strike to improve NHS pay and address staffing issues.

"We will work with members and with the trust to help to stem the flow of valuable NHS workers out of the trust.

James Mawrey, chief people officer and deputy chief executive at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, says they are committed to supporting health and wellbeing and offer a “wealth of training, learning, and development opportunities” to help staff have a “long and successful career” there.

“Our aim is to always provide the highest levels of service for our patients, and always do what is needed to ensure their safety," he added.

“We asked a lot of our staff throughout the pandemic, and continue to ask more of them this winter, but we are always looking for ways to make Bolton NHS Foundation Trust an even greater place to work.

“We have ongoing recruitment programmes and are working with several universities to discover our future health heroes, alongside the joint Bolton College of Medical Science development which will train thousands of healthcare professionals.

“Whilst our staff care for others, we’re doing all we can to support their own health and wellbeing through our Occupational Therapy and Chaplaincy teams.

“The dedication and efforts of our staff continue to be a point of pride every day, going above and beyond to make sure Bolton’s communities receive the high standards of care.”