Workforce planning. Your country needs you

Shortage of nurses is a long-standing problem which was the subject of official inquiries long before the launch of the NHS. There has been persistent inertia about acting on the recommendations of these reports. Despite a continuing increase in activity rates, the number of nurses in the NHS has remained largely static for a decade. Another 5,000 will be needed by 2015. The UK should use its capacity for centralised planning to tackle the issue.