Notes to editors
- The monthly total of nurses and health visitors in the NHS follows a seasonal trend, where numbers rise in the autumn as newly qualified staff complete their training and then reduce during the rest of the year. To get a clear sense of monthly changes, it is best to compare the number of nurses and health visitors in a given month to the number in the same month the previous year.
- The number of nurses and health visitors refers to full-time equivalents.
- The number of placed applicants to nursing at 28 days after A-level results day in 2017 was 6 per cent fewer than the previous year, a drop from 22,680 to 21,340 (the current level is similar to that of 2015).
- For further information, or to request an interview, please contact the Press and Public Affairs team on 020 7307 2585 (if calling out of hours, please ring 07584 146035).
- The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. We help to shape policy and practice through research and analysis; develop individuals, teams and organisations; promote understanding of the health and social care system; and bring people together to learn, share knowledge and debate. Our vision is that the best possible health and care is available to all.