Over 400 new doctors and nurses in Dorset's Hospitals
436 new doctors and nurses have joined Dorset's NHS Trusts in the year to May.
Last updated 2nd Sep 2020
The county has seen a significant rise in the number of doctors and nurses working in it's NHS Trusts compared with last year.
Dorset County Hospital alone gained 22 new doctors, a rise of 7.2%, between May 2019 and May 2020. The hospital also has 52 new nurses, and increase of 9.3%.
But, four doctors left Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust in the same period. It also gained 87 nurses.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth and Poole Hospitals gained 100 doctors collectively and 192 nurses.
South Dorset MP Richard Drax said:
"This is welcome news, we have suffered in this constituency, particularly from a lack of nurses, and although there is still some way to go, I am delighted that such significant strides are already being made in training and recruitment."
"The pandemic this year has proved the importance of our NHS nurses and doctors beyond all doubt; we must cherish them and keep them and encourage more to join us here in South Dorset."
The number of doctors in the NHS in England has increased by 9,306 compared to last year, while the number of nurses has risen by 13,840.
All professionally-qualified clinical staff, doctors, paramedics and support to clinical staff are now at record levels.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:
"It is fantastic to see we have record numbers of staff working in our NHS, and as set out last month in the NHS People Plan, we must strive to make the NHS the best possible place to work for all.
"This will help us retain more of our hardworking staff and ensure the NHS can continue to protect us, as we protected it throughout the peak of this pandemic.
"With the latest UCAS figures already showing a 14% rise in people accepting places on nursing courses in England, we are well on our way to delivering 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament.
"We have protected the NHS, and we are investing record sums into the NHS, hiring more doctors and nurses so the NHS is always there for you and your family."