THREE-QUARTERS of newly-qualified nurses are unable to find jobs because trusts are freezing recruitment, the RCN (Royal College of Nursing) said yesterday.
The (RCM) Royal College of Midwives added that for the same reason, although 3,000 more midwives are needed nationwide, 20 per cent of last year’s newly-qualified midwives failed to find employment.
The RCN, the RCM and other health unions were speaking out against the Department of Health’s claim that there is no unemployment crisis for health graduates, merely ‘keen competition’ for NHS jobs.
The Department of Health claimed: ‘The NHS currently has a healthy supply of new graduates thanks to increased investment in training, at a time when the NHS has hit a surplus.
‘This does not mean unemployment, it means there is keen competition in some parts of the country.
‘There is a lot of work taking place to ensure graduates are placed, to maximise employment possibilities.
‘A workforce the size of the NHS is constantly in flux and we expect vacancies to become available in the natural cycle of staff turnover.’
However, RCN General Secretary Dr Peter Carter reported: ‘I am hearing worrying stories from recently qualified nurses who are unable to get jobs because trusts are freezing entry level posts to save money.
‘Our own research from last year found that around three quarters of newly qualified nurses are still looking for a permanent job months after qualifying.
‘Not only is this a waste of tax payers’ money but it is a waste of new and much needed nursing talent.’
At least 12,000 nurses qualified in May or September last year, but the DoH has admitted that only 69 per cent found jobs by this March.
Carter warned: ‘The longer newly qualified nurses spend away from a clinical setting the harder it is for them to get their first job.
‘Unless we welcome these newly qualified nurses into the profession now, we risk losing them forever.’
An RCM spokesman told News Line: ‘We’ve done work that identifies a shortfall of at least 3,000 midwives in England.
‘The government’s new Maternity Matters strategy, published in April, sets out to give all women one-to-one midwifery care by 2009.
‘We clearly need more midwives, but we have this problem that newly qualified midwives are struggling to get work.
‘Where they are getting work it’s sometimes on a fixed term contract or bank work.
‘The problem is that the financial difficulties in the NHS over the past 18 months have led to trusts freezing posts and cutting training places.
‘In addition, in some places, rather than employ newly qualified midwives, trusts have employed support workers, the reason being that with the money it would cost to employ one midwife they can employ two support workers.
‘The government needs to commission more training places for midwives and recruit more midwives in general, otherwise their policy for maternity services will fail.’
More than half of physiotherapists were still unemployed six-months after qualifying last year, the Department of Health admitted.
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) Chief Executive Phil Gray said: ‘It’s absurd that physiotherapy services are being hit so hard when patient demand is so high.
‘A further two and a half thousand physiotherapy students are due to graduate this year.
‘The CSP remains very concerned about their employment prospects and we are urging the government to work with us to find solutions to the problem.’
The BMA said: ‘At a time when so many junior doctors are unsure whether they will get training posts because of the shambolic mtas scheme, it is extremely suprising that the Department of Health does not believe there is any unemployment.
‘Many juniors have said they will go abroad if they cannot get training to become an NHS consultant.
‘This means they will end up working for another country’s health service – what a waste of taxpayers’ money.’