A new report from the Royal College of Nursing warns England faces a nursing shortfall of at least 55,000 registered nurses, more than twice the official NHS vacancy figure of about 23,046 in August 2026.

The Department of Health and Social Care says the 10-Year NHS Workforce Plan is designed to build a sustainable workforce to meet current and future needs.

The shortage is linked to patient safety risks and preventable harm, with longer hospital stays and worse outcomes reported in areas affected by staffing gaps, and some hospitals logging hundreds of safety reports tied to shortages.

Official vacancy data may underestimate the shortfall because they exclude frozen or unfunded posts, and the gap is widening as nurse numbers rose only about 1% last year, while the Long-Term Plan calls for annual growth of roughly 2.5% to 5.7% depending on specialty.

The report urges government action in the upcoming NHS Workforce Plan and immediate funding for NHS trusts to recruit the necessary staff, along with expanding domestic nurse training and improving retention and nationwide planning.

Nursing staffing levels vary across England, with regional disparities evident in ICSs—for example, 317 to 904 nurses per 100,000 people in neighboring areas—highlighting uneven distribution.

If nurse growth had matched doctors’ growth since 2009, England would have roughly 77,000 more nurses today.