Brexit has brought a double-whammy for the NHS.  

Since the Brexit vote was announced last year, the number of nurses and midwives arriving to work in the UK from Europe has decreased by 89%. This dramatic drop has coincided with a large increase in the number of qualified medics leaving the Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) register. This number has risen by 67% – from 2,435 leavers in 2015-16 to 4,067 in the last year.  

For the first time ever, the number of nurses leaving the NHS has overtaken the amount joining, which is very worrying for an already understaffed NHS. Shadow health secretary, Jonathon Ashworth, said; "Far from delivering the staff needed to keep patients on wards safe, nurse numbers are now in fact falling in our NHS. It's staggering that numbers are falling when all the evidence shows we need more nurses in the NHS, not less." 

On the flip side, the Conservatives are trying to put a positive spin on it all, saying: "These figures represent a mere 0.2% decrease in the 689,738 nurses and midwives currently registered with the NMC and there are in fact more nurses on our wards since last year."  

Whichever side you're on, it's important that all trusts do what they can to attract new recruits. Despite all the doom and gloom, some positive changes have been made to encourage young people to join the NHS.  

The government has announced a 25% increase in the number of nurse training places – the biggest in history. They've also introduced the new nursing apprenticeships. This means instead of spending 3 years at university, trainee nurses can learn on the job, and earn a wage while they train. Trainees are also working on the ward and supporting patients on day one, so it's a more timely way to train staff and get more support staff in the ward.   

We all know the NHS needs to hire and train more staff – but it's how trusts go about their training that can make a big difference. 

Trusts need to make their nurse training as efficient as possible, so they have more high quality, qualified staff as soon as possible. But what can you do to make your training more efficient?   

1. Attract the highest quality candidates to your trust 
2. Employ more nurse apprentices 
3. Use technology to increase efficiency
4. Ensure training and support staff are up-to-date with modern techniques  

This may seem like an impossible task, but when you break it down, it's something every trust can do. To find out how OneFile can help make your trust's nurse training more efficient, download our free guide. We explain exactly how OneFile works, and how it can bring huge benefits to staff and patients.