Hundreds of Welsh nursing graduates may finish training with no NHS job to go to
The Royal College of Nursing Wales has warned that up to half of all nursing graduates in Wales may not have a job to go to when NHS recruitment opens.
RCN Wales says current indications point to a serious shortage of Band 5 posts for newly registered nurses, with the college blaming financial constraints and the freezing of vacant posts within health boards.
For north Wales, that means Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which oversees NHS services across Flintshire and the wider region.
The college is demanding urgent clarity from the Welsh Government on the scale of the shortfall, credible long-term workforce planning, and immediate action to recruit, retain and deploy the nursing workforce Wales needs.
RCN Wales has received assurances that students will not be penalised where posts are unavailable.
That includes being released from any work-in-Wales obligations and not being required to repay tuition fee support where workforce shortages prevent them finding employment.
Professor Sandy Harding, Associate Director of Nursing at RCN Wales, said: “The situation facing newly registered nurses is deeply concerning and exposes serious failures in workforce planning.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that this situation is being driven by financial constraints, including the freezing of vacant posts within the local health boards.
“Our NHS is under intense pressure, yet hundreds of newly qualified nurses may have no posts to enter.
“This is simply unacceptable.
“These students stepped forward for Wales, trained through immense challenges, and now face uncertainty at the very moment the system needs them most.
“They deserve far better.
“Every newly qualified nurse will be vital to meeting Wales’s care needs.
“The RCN will continue to demand transparency, accountability and long-term planning from the system.
“We will not stop speaking up for students, for our safety critical nursing workforce, and for the people who rely on safe, high-quality care.”
The Welsh Government was asked to respond.