Our bloated NHS – Over 1.6m employees, huge increases, and nothing to show for it

And this doesn’t include GPs and staff employed by primary care providers

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2024

Facts4EU.Org analyses the latest disastrous numbers from the NHS

On Wednesday last week (06 March 2024) the Office for National Statistics published the numbers of people employed by the NHS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The figures are extraordinary – and yet they do not even include GPs and those employed by primary care providers.

A Brexit Facts4EU.Org Two-Parter

Part I – Total numbers of NHS employees declared, excluding GPs and primary care workers (This report)
Part II – Massive growth in number of non patient-facing staff

Today Facts4EU.Org publishes an exclusive report, having analysed the raw data. This is such a shocking picture that we have split this report into two parts. Unfortunately the ONS did not provide a UK-wide summary so we have done this for them.

Total NHS staff excluding GPs and primary care staff

England : 1,308,824
Scotland : 158,375
Wales : 95,445
Northern Ireland : 64,688
TOTAL : 1,627,332

[Source : Office for National Statistics, 06 Mar 2024.]

Why can’t this data be simplified across the UK?

Each of the four UK nations publishes official statistics on the directly employed NHS workforce, which provide insight into current NHS employment levels in each nation.

The devolved nature of UK healthcare means that each part of the UK collects and reports NHS workforce data based on their own legislative frameworks, policies and priorities. As the ONS says :

“These differences mean we can look at overall trends but direct comparisons on the NHS workforce cannot be meaningfully made.”

This data is not remotely complete or comparable between the four nations

There are different arrangements for employing the workforce between UK nations, with a combination of direct employment to the NHS, agency workers and commissioned providers. Comparisons using NHS direct employment statistics alone do not account for these policy differences.

Statistical note : Readers might ask why the ONS did not present numbers including GPs and primary care staff. We find this baffling too and we can only suggest readers ask the ONS.

It is also bizarre that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have a category for “medical and dental” staff but England does not. Finally the reporting periods are different.

The simple fact is that we have only been able to present an analysis of the basic figures which the ONS has reported. Clearly the true numbers for those employed in the public healthcare sector are far higher – whether employed directly by the NHS or by agencies or other healthcare providers.

In Part II of this report we will look at the number of non patient-facing staff working for the NHS.

Observations

Given the massive expenditure on the NHS and public healthcare in general, it is extraordinary that we do not even know the total number of people employed in this part of the public sector. In this two-part report we have done what we can with the information available. Quite how any Minister can make decisions without all the relevant information is beyond us.

The NHS’s waiting list now stands at well over seven million. It is very obvious that this huge part of the public sector has needed root and branch reform for many years. Instead of which, successive governments have simply thrown money at it.

In Part II we will look at the explosive growth in the number of admin / non-clinical staff directly employed by the NHS.

Reports like this don't research and write themselves

If they were easy, readers would see other organisations also producing these daily. However, there’s little point in the Facts4EU.Org team working long hours, seven days-a-week, if we lack the resources to promote them effectively – to the public, to MPs, and to the media.

Facts4EU.Org badly needs you today

We are a 'not for profit' team (we make a loss) and any payment goes towards the actual work, not plush London offices, lunch or taxi expenses, or other luxuries of some organisations.

We badly need more of our thousands of readers to become members, to support this work. Could this be you, today? It's quick and easy, we give you a choice of two highly secure payment providers, and we do NOT ask you for further support if you pay once. We just hope you keep supporting us. Your membership stays anonymous unless you tell us otherwise.

Please don't assume that other people will keep us going - we don't receive enough to survive and we need your help today. Could you help us? We rely 100% on public contributions from readers like you.

If you believe in a fully-free, independent, and sovereign United Kingdom, please join now by clicking on one of the links below or you can use our Support page here. You will receive a personal, friendly ‘thank you’ from a member of our team within 48 hours. Thank you.

[ Sources: Office for National Statistics | NHS England ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Wed 13 Mar 2024

Click here to go to our news headlines

Please scroll down to COMMENT on the above article.
And don't forget actually to post your message after you have previewed it!

Something to say about this? Scroll down for reader comments

Since before the EU Referendum, Brexit Facts4EU.Org
has been the most prolific researcher and publisher of Brexit facts in the world.

Supported by MPs, MEPs, & other groups, our work has impact.

We think facts matter. Please donate today, so that we can continue to ensure a clean Brexit is finally delivered.

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

From £3 per month

Paypal Users Only - Choose amount first

Quick One-off

Monthly

PLEASE NOTE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT : You can write your comment under any existing comments below. After you have clicked to preview your comment, you MUST then click on the CAPTCHA system and send you comment, for it to be published. Thank you!

Reader Comments 7

1. Ashley Great Britain , Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 07:09:

It's a surprise they manage to get anything done.
There are of course some great people working in the NHS and you'll probably find they are carrying the rest.
There are also those who have joined it to hide and have an easy life. They have been able to get away with it because of current laws, equality and the softly softly approach. It's the same in any UK institution. Coupled to that you can add bad management, planning and discipline.
I'll point out Just 3 things I know of.
As far back as 15-20 years ago you had hospital porters just sitting in rooms chilling out, when asked to do something the response is I'm on my break.
Others just sleeping for hours on night duty, Presumably only rising for the most critical tasks.
With Procurement you have millions of items. Looking at toilet paper alone how can the NHS be happy to pay £18.75 for a 9 pack, Most people can buy the same for £3.50 or so. Surely as the NHS buys millions of rolls they can get a far better price, say £2.25 for a 9 pack.
Replicate these issue's and many other problems across the board and you are stuffed.

2. LuxuryBalloon , Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 09:23:

I recommend everyone to get private healthcare.

3. Ashley Great Britain , Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 09:55:

2 luxury balloon.
Nice to have, But as we all already pay for health care most can't afford the extra for private.

4. KB , Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 10:56:

On the other hand we spend a lower proportion of GDP on healthcare than most other developed countries.
Certainly far lower than the USA.
But it is certainly a good question, why there are increased clinical staff but only the same amount of treatment (or less in some areas) has been delivered.

5. Dysmyopia , Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 15:18:

"Huge Increases & nothing to show for it" - that sounds a lot more like Brexit than the NHS, which unlike Brexit helps all, not some people in the UK.
The benefits of the NHS can be counted on by every single one of us. You can't count one single Brexit benefit.

6. terence patrick hewett , Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 17:07:

Oh lookee, another troll.

7. NH , Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 18:32:

5. Dysmyopia, "which unlike Brexit helps all, not some people in the UK." "You can't count one single Brexit benefit"
With respect you seem to be contradicting yourself. Your first statement accepts that Brexit helps "some people in the UK" and then you go on to say "you can't count one single Brexit benefit".
.
I will give you some of the examples of what many of us consider to be "Brexit benefits":
.
We have not had to pay our share of the EU 357 Billion Euro spending commitments in 2022 (UK share would have been 53 Billion Euros).
We have not had to pay a similar amount to this in 2023.
We are not responsible for the EU's mutual debts (UK share approx. 120 Billion Euros).
We no longer have to pay any EU membership fees.
We have a free trade agreement with the EU which resulted in an increase in exports to the EU after we left.
We are establishing new free trade agreements and improving existing agreements with the rest of the world.
Unlike the trade agreement we had with EU membership our new trade agreements include the largest and most valuable part of our economy which is services.
Trade with non EU countries has increased significantly since we left the EU.
We will not have to pay a huge amount for the EU expansion plans.
We are not having to pay approx. 25 Billion Euros per year to support the Eurozone and Euro currency unlike some EU countries.
.
Maybe you do not believe reducing costs massively and increasing exports are important to the UK. Many of us believe the benefits of being a democratic self governing nation are even more important to the UK's future than all the other huge benefits of Brexit.

Add comment:

Please note: Your email address is never published unless you choose to enter it.