The number of NHS workers who left their jobs at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust last year hit a 10-year high, new figures show.

NHS Digital figures show around 805 people resigned from their posts at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, with 185 nurses and health visitors choosing to leave their jobs in the year to March.

In total, approximately 1,110 staff members left their jobs in 2022-23, a 24 per cent increase on the 895 who left in 2020-21, during the height of the pandemic.

The figures cover medical and administration staff and are rounded to the nearest five.

A resignation does not necessarily mean the staff member has left the NHS altogether, as the numbers also include any promotions and relocations.

In the last year, approximately 85 doctors left their roles at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, a decrease compared to 2020-21, when 95 left.

James Mawrey, Chief People Officer, and Deputy Chief Executive at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust said: “Like other areas throughout the country, we have seen an increase in staff turnover during the last 12 months for a wide range of reasons including career progression, retirement and some staff reaching the end of their temporary contracts.

“When people leave us, we always seek to understand their reasons for this and learn from their experiences, both good and bad, so we can continue to evolve as a major employer in the Bolton borough.

“There’s no doubt that this is a challenging time to work in health and care services and retaining our current workforce is one of our top priorities because without them, we simply couldn’t provide services.

“We know from listening to our staff that learning, and development is important to them so we have a programme of work in place to support this, so that staff at all levels of the organisation can have long and successful careers with us.

“Alongside this we have a wide programme of support available for our staff for their health and wellbeing through our Occupational Therapy, Chaplaincy and Our Bolton NHS Charity teams.

“We are also working with our partners in Bolton to provide opportunities for our future generation of workers, one example being the development of the Institute of Medical Sciences which is set to open next year on our hospital site.”

Trusts across England saw 222,690 workers leaving their roles in the NHS between 2022-23, 63 per cent of whom resigned.

The remainder left for other reasons, such as retirement, dismissal or reaching the end of their fixed contract.

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers part of the NHS Confederation, said: “There is a sense that staff who deferred retirement due to the pandemic and its recovery are now choosing to enact their plans, and there is also undoubtedly significant numbers of staff moving between organisations to pursue financial and career opportunities.”

These figures emerge as the NHS enters its 75th year and is facing intense pressure due to record demand for care.

Ellie Orton OBE, chief executive at NHS Charities Together, said: “In addition to the aftermath of Covid-19 – including ever-increasing waitlists, long hours and public scrutiny – many roles can take a substantial physical and mental toll.”

Mr Mortimer said the new workforce plan challenges NHS organisations to improve working environments across their services and teams.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by over £2.4 billion government funding, will deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history and recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years.

They added: “We know that if we are to build a stronger, healthier NHS for the long-term with patients at its centre, it is vital to have the workforce to support it.

“There are record numbers of doctors working in the NHS with over 5,800 more compared to this time last year and we are on track to meet our commitment of 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament, with over 44,000 more nurses in April 2023 compared with September 2019.”

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