Record numbers of nurses are quitting the NHS in England.
More than 40,000 have left in the past year – one in nine of the workforce – according to data examined by the Nuffield Trust.
It is nearly cancelling out the rise in recruits, with just 4,000 more joiners than leavers in the year to June 30.
But a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said the Government was already halfway to meeting its target to increase numbers by 50,000 during this Parliament.
Dr Billy Palmer, from the Nuffield Trust, said the “staggering jump” in nurses leaving should be an “urgent wake-up call”.
He told the BBC : “While every year we would expect nurses to retire, it is very concerning to see the numbers who cite the reasons for considering or actually leaving as health concerns or work-life balance.”
The leaving rate in Scotland is almost the same. Similar data is unavailable for Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Nuffield Trust used data from NHS Digital, which found nurses working in the community were the most likely to have left.
The Department said: “We are focused on delivering for patients on the issues they care about most.
“This includes easing pressure on ambulances, clearing the Covid backlogs, supporting discharge from hospital and ensuring improved access to doctors and dentists.
“All of this will be driven by a bolstered workforce."
Among the thousands of medical staff who have left the NHS is community nursing sister Natalie Hutchinson, 28, who worked for a Rapid Response Team in Derbyshire.
The nurse, who joined the NHS in 2016, quit her staff job after realising the effect the immense pressure it was having on her mental health.
Natalie made the tough decision to leave last year after realising that the ‘negative environment’ was impossible to carry on working in without forfeiting her own wellbeing.
She said: “There are some amazing nurses out there and it's sad because you can really feel their frustrations.
"It seems to have turned into such a negative environment and I think the reason for this is because staff are not being heard and that there seems to be no forward movement or positive changes.”
Working in the community, Natalie helped respond to urgent care calls that didn't require hospital admissions.
But she found herself working overtime constantly, and struggled to keep up with the immense pressures piled on the system thanks to Covid.
