THE number of vacant NHS nursing posts hit a new high of 34,260 last year, with some areas only recruiting one nurse for every 400 jobs advertised.

Official figures showed there were almost 88,000 vacancies across the NHS in England in the quarter to September, with 28,242 in September alone.

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Janet Davies said: “These figures pull back the curtain to reveal an NHS desperately short of nurses. The government can no longer deny the staffing crisis.

“The next generation of British nurses has been deterred by the current whirlwind tearing through the NHS — record pressure, lack of funding and poor pay for staff.

“It has never been busier but is shedding experienced nurses quicker than it can find new ones. Earlier cuts to training places are exacerbating the problem just as long-serving staff feel demoralised and pushed to leave nursing.”

Ms Davies called for urgent ministerial accountability for safe staffing levels and investment in services, including a pay rise for nurses above inflation.

Unison’s head of health, Sara Gorton, said: “It’s clear the government’s inadequate plans for the NHS this winter didn’t include having enough staff in post to run the service. These shocking vacancy rates show that health workers are being pushed to their limits.”

A Department of Health & Social Care spokesman said that the number of vacancies is “relatively stable compared to last year.”

Staff are able to improve their work-life balance by flexible working, he claimed – adding that the government has overseen the “biggest ever expansion” of nurse and doctor training places.