Staff shortages are now a national crisis

[Confusedofbritain]

Staff shortages across many sectors is now a national crisis surely? I’ve given up expecting anything of this government, but why isn’t Labour beating them with a stick over this?

Some examples which affect me personally….

• Can’t go on holiday due to cancelled flight, cause by lack of ground staff.
• I work for NHS trust and we have closed a ward due to c 50% vacancies. We have plenty of money but can’t spend it. Now competing with other trusts paying increasingly high golden handshakes.
• Tried to book restaurant for Tuesday birthday. Not possible as all places shut Monday and Tuesday due to short staff (esp chefs).
• Poor service when we do go out. Staff look frazzled.
• Can’t get a builder to do an extension. Often not bothering to quote. Builder friend can’t keep labourers and brickies. Paying increasingly high wages but getting poached.
• Window fitter quoted me 2x higher than 2019 (for a much smaller window!) probably because they’re so busy and can’t increase capacity due to lack of staff. So prices have gone up by 100%.
• Long delay in discharge for father from hospital, due to long waits for care package (caused by staff shortages). He was in hospital a lot longer than necessary and declined hugely as result.

It’s largely caused by Brexit, partly people retiring or changing livelihood during Covid…:.but why wasn’t this anticipated and what are we doing about it?

I want to see posters EVERYWHERE encouraging people to consider NHS careers. It’s a rewarding career, but impossible to cope and keep going with so few staff. We are escalating to NHS England constantly, saying we need a national solution. It’s beyond critical, but I’m not confident that there is a national drive to sort this out.

The economic and social consequences of ignoring this massive structural issue will be disastrous!

Why? I’m a stay at home parent and my husband works - what’s your issue?

To get the long term unemployed job ready, takes a lot of time from specialist workers

Don't be wet, fgs op, you just give them a selection of jobs and no alternative. All this handwringing is exactly what they want you to think. I had chronic PTSD and still went to work, you are making excuses.

We need to retrain those that are sitting at home and give them a chance to support themselves and the country.

I see this attitude a lot, people would rather sneer at others than actually contribute to making meaningful change that would help resolve the situation.

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7783/

EU staff were and are an important part of the NHS employee body. Statistics can always be misleading, but this would suggest that not that many returned, indeed from 2016 to 2021 there is an increase, but also due to better stats, and increased total numbers of staff. It's complex.

Re-instatement of fully funded training is also a red herring. There are 3 times more nursing, paramedic and medics wanting to train than places. There is no lack of trainees, just lack of places to train.

To a pp, the increased cost of windows is nothing to do with Brexit, and everything to do with Covid. Materials generally have skyrocketed. I have had no problem with finding people to do the work, they are finding it really difficult to supply within reasonable costs. Windows, cement, sand, bricks, wood, all have doubled in price. A year ago you couldn't get them at all, now they are in stock at hugely increased rprices. Classic supply and demand.

Er, no. I am a higher rate tax payer who has worked all my life. I just happen not to be an ignorant twat and I understand that other people's circumstances might be very different from my own.

They're working back in their home counties, or in other EU countries. Most London vets came from EU countries. It's now very difficult to come here and of course there are now no settlement rights.

It's easy to say Brexit but there's a shortage of workers in industries across Europe too. Thousands of staff left travel and hospitality and haven't returned. Where have these people gone?!

And how many qualified vets are currently on benefits? I can take a guess ....

FFS! When will people open their eyes and recognise that it isn't the benefit claimants, struggling along at the bottom of society that are to blame for this frankly appalling shit show.
You need to look up the ladder, to the old Etonians and their buddies who are raping the country and bleeding us dry.
Tax evasion, dodgy business deals, buy to let, fucking brexit.
I am a health care professional, with a degree and 32 years experience. I can't get basic supplies for our unit. We can't get skilled staff because Boris sent them back home to Spain and Poland. I'm OK financially because my DH has a good job and we bought our 4 bed detached for £72k several decades ago, but how the fuck do today's NHS grads save up a deposit on their £25k salary? That's even if there are any houses for sale....as most round here are snapped up by buy to let landlords.
But carry on blaming "lazy" benefit claimants.

There were approximately 1.26 million unemployed people in the United Kingdom in the three months to March 2022

1.26 MILLION people just sat there, apparently job seeking

The number of job vacancies in January to March 2022 rose to a new record of 1,288,000

And there you have it! They almost match -

So if you want a solution to staff shortages people, I would say - there it is.

i too am interested how Barry from the pub who’s been unemployed for 20 years will suddenly fill the roles of highly skilled, qualified health professionals. But they clearly have all the answers!

swedex · Today 09:08
MerryMarigold
Why is this? If it's from vets to builders. What jobs are these people doing now?

Brexit!! Many of those jobs were filled by European workers and they have gone back to Europe”

the. The outcome was always blindingly predictable. But, hey, people have their “sovereignty” back 🙄

If they want more healthcare workers to start to training they need to go back to the previous system of no tution fees and proper bursaries for nurses and allied health professions. Or do much more of the train on the job with a wage with release for academic training.

Teaching is also struggling. So many headteachers left after COVID pushed them over the brink, and no one is applying for vacant positions. At my old school they advertised 3 times for a head and no one applied.
It’s the same in secondary, especially maths and science. My Yr 7 hasn’t had a maths teacher at all this year. They sit in the sports hall with another class with a supervisor who can be anyone from the head or someone from the office, and complete an online course in Yr7 maths.
Its all down to working conditions - the stress and abuse teachers face make the job very unappealing.

By the way @Swayingpalmtrees ”suitable” doesn’t mean “dream job”, it means fits in with their childcare, or is in a place they can actually get to (not everyone drives), or matches their skill set etc. Unless you want unqualified doctors treating you?

Tried to book restaurant for Tuesday birthday. Not possible as all places shut Monday and Tuesday due to short staff (esp chefs)

I sympathise, and have a couple of friends who own restaurants, and are really struggling for staff. Some returned due to Covid (not Brexit, as they had applied for settled status), and generally chefs are always in short supply. BUT, the main reason we can't book is that restaurants are rammed. Locally they are still running two sittings, one early and one late, and you have to book weeks in advance, and they are not shut, ever. DD's gap year friends are earning really well, jobs everywhere. Summer jobs also really easy to get, everywhere looking for staff. This is South East though, so readily accept we are a bit of a bubble.

The unemployment statistics also include all those who are unemployed by choice though. Not all are seeking work.

My dd is running a care home for the elderly and younger people who have complex conditions and the staffing has got to be really difficult. She recently interviewed two qualified nurses, one in Ghana and one in India. They will be coming over in the coming weeks. They will have to be in the country for so long before accepted as fully qualified here so will be working as assistants of some kind. She has been working without days off and literally exhausting herself. Even though acknowledging that staffing in this sector has usually been difficult just where has everyone gone? As other posts have already pointed out it is evident everywhere from doctors to the shortage of staff in restaurants etc etc. Someone told me the other day that staff who are servicing are being offered jobs by customers as they eat. So why?

I find it absolutely incredulous that anyone feels this is acceptable. So woke has this country become that we can't even say - here are 1.3 million jobs - take your pick, we can retrain you but you have to contribute and make an effort.

It is not sneering, it is simply looking at the facts. We should not be paying 1.26 million people to stay at home, when we have such a staff crisis (those with severe disabilities and sound reasons being the exception) No one should be on benefits now. We have so much work available!

So OP...you can afford to go on holidays abroad, eat out and house extensions.

You are not doing too badly after10+ years of a Conservative government then, are you🙄

@Swayingpalmtrees

It’s quite simple really.

Example. Unemployed single mum, several kids, never had a job. Low IQ, almost illiterate unable to complete a job application. Can’t get kids to school on time. Has no transport, relies on public transport. Mental health issues.

Put her in a job. She’s late every day. Rude to customers and staff. Calls in sick frequently. When she does turn up, doesn’t make eye contact with customers and can’t remember simple things which means she can’t do her job. Is sacked after 6 weeks. Loses her income, unable to claim benefits in your scenario so she defaults on rent. Becomes homeless. Now she and 7 kids must be housed in emergency accommodation by council. Fucks up her kids even more. Possibly into care and life of crime…. Even more cost to the tax payer.

need I go on??

Serving not servicing.

Brexit has been a complete and utter disaster at every level.

But hey, the passport books are blue again, so we win, eh?

Duh.

Matching unemployed does not mean matching jobs in terms of skills, geography. That's just for starters.

The unemployment statistics also include all those who are unemployed by choice though. Not all are seeking work

Thank you artisan there are plenty of people 'choosing' to stay unemployed, and this has to change. They are supposed to be seeking work, but it is an exercise in avoidance and dodging the bullets. So the next time you see frazzled staff and companies are closing because they haven't the staff to open, lend a thought to the million people that could be helping, but choose not to.