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In Short Supply: Estimating the shortfall of registered nurses in the NHS in England

Published: 22/09/2026
Last updated: 22/09/2026
Publication code: 012 701

Registered nurses are integral to the delivery of key public services; accounting, for example, for half (49%) of professionally qualified clinical staff in NHS hospital and community services. But are there enough?

This report doesn’t seek to provide a single estimate on any shortfall, but by examining several approaches to assessing whether nurse numbers are sufficient, it aims to answer that primary question.

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Published by the Royal College of Nursing, 20 Cavendish Square, London, W1G 0RN.

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Page last updated - 21/09/2026