THE NHS is reportedly in crisis in many places of the country with a shortage of doctors, nurses, and midwives.

A recent report from a cross-party group of MPs led by former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Government must tackle "the greatest workforce crisis in history in the NHS" as it deals with the aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are some of the NHS figures for the Mid and South Essex Trust to see how the workforce has changed in recent years.

  • Doctors:

The latest figures from NHS Digital show there were the equivalent of 1,890 full-time doctors as of April at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

This was up from 1,820 last year and 478 in April 2016 – when comparable figures for all professions began – equating to a rise of 295 per cent over the last six years.

Nationally, there were 128,000 FTE doctors in NHS trusts in April, up from 124,000 the year before and 104,000 in 2016.

  • Midwives:

There are fewer midwives across the country than last year – the figures show there were the equivalent of 21,741 working full-time hours in April, down from 22,374 last year.

At the Mid and South Essex Trust there were 424 midwives in April – down from 445 last year.

The Royal College of Midwives said people are leaving the industry because "morale is shattered".

  • Nurses and Health Visitors:

The figures also show there were 3,699 nurses and health visitors at the Mid and South Essex Trust in April.

This is up from 3,661 last year and 907 at the start of the pandemic.

But the committee said there is a vast shortage of nurses nationally, with the NHS needing to urgently recruit more than 50,000 nurses and midwives.

In England, there were 319,000 FTE nurses and health visitors in April – up from 310,000 the year before and 285,000 in 2016.

The Royal College of Nursing said persistent understaffing "poses a serious risk to staff and patient safety" and urged the Government to take immediate action.

  • Sickness Rates:

Understaffing is not the only issue facing the NHS workforce.

Different NHS Digital figures show trusts are still grappling with staff sickness, as the absence rate across all roles nationally rose to 6 per cent in March – the fourth highest month since the pandemic began and well above pre-pandemic levels of 4.1 per cent in March 2019.

At the Mid and South Essex Trust, 6.1% of full-time staff days were lost due to sickness absence in March.

In March 2019, the rate stood at 3.5%.

  • Vacancies:

NHS vacancies have also increased more in the year to March than any 12-month period since records began in 2018.

Separate data reveals the NHS had 106,000 FTE vacancies at the end of March, up from 76,000 the year prior.

These include almost 39,000 nursing vacancies, over 4,000 more than 12 months ago.

In the East of England, there were 10,319 total vacancies as of 31 March – up from 8,020 a year earlier – including 3,917 for nurses.

  • What the Government has said:

The Department of Health and Social Care said it has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan.

A spokesperson said: "We are growing the health and social care workforce, with over 4,000 more doctors, and 9,600 more nurses compared to last year, and over 1,400 more doctors in general practice compared to March 2019.

"As we continue to deliver on our commitment to recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024, we are also running a £95 million recruitment drive for maternity services."

  • What the Mid and South Essex Trust has said:

A spokesperson for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Over the past year we have employed almost 3,000 new starters.

“Large scale recruitment campaigns continue for newly qualified nurses, midwives, and doctors.

“Through this period, we have also successfully recruited to over 170 healthcare support workers from within the local communities that we serve.

“Sickness absence rates are now at the lowest they have been since June 2021.”