NHS support staff in affluent areas benefit from more career opportunities, report finds

Analysis showed workers in the South East were almost twice as likely to move into a registered position than those in the North East

NHS clinical support staff are more likely to advance into nursing and other registered roles if they are based in more affluent regions, a new report has revealed.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggests that trusts in higher-wage areas face greater competition for personnel, making them more inclined to "bear the costs of supporting and funding these opportunities".

Analysis showed workers in the South East were almost twice as likely to move into a registered position than those in the North East.

The IFS cautioned that expanding this training route could lead to government "trade-offs" between addressing workforce gaps and tackling regional inequalities.

Clinical support staff, including healthcare assistants, assist nurses, doctors, and other health professionals in delivering patient care.

The health service describes these roles as a “good entry point to the NHS” and can offer the experience required to apply to train as a registered professional, such as a nurse, midwife, physiotherapist or radiographer.

The health service describes clinical support staff roles as a “good entry point to the NHS” (PA)

This route to training has been expanded by the NHS over the past decade, according to the IFS, with plans to expand it further under the Government’s 10-year health plan.

Some 16 per cent of the new nursing cohort in 2024 were recruited from a clinical support role in the NHS, up from 4 per cent in 2014, the IFS said.

However, the analysis found these transitions were more common in regions with higher wages, and in mental health trusts.

The IFS said that in 2023, clinical support staff in the South East were almost twice as likely to move into a registered role compared to those in the North East.

The report said that trusts in higher-wage areas “often see higher vacancies and more competition for staff”, making them “more willing to bear the costs of supporting and funding these opportunities”.

Olly Harvey-Rich, a research economist at IFS, said: “New pathways into registered roles are a valuable way for NHS trusts to attract and retain staff, and often result in training opportunities that would not have otherwise been available.

“But the trusts that are keenest to offer internal staff training are often in areas of the country that already have higher wages and better training opportunities; trusts in more deprived areas may find it cheaper to hire through other routes.”

Elsewhere, IFS analysis found that the number of clinical support workers moving into registered roles has doubled since 2010, with particularly sharp rises in nursing.

The increase could continue in the coming years, the report suggests, with many staff still in training.

More than 1,000 existing members of NHS staff started a nursing degree apprenticeship in 2024, up from a little over 300 in 2019, according to the IFS.

Mr Harvey-Rich added: “As the NHS drafts its new 10-year workforce plan, it should therefore be clear about what it wants these pathways to achieve.

“There will likely be a trade-off between designing incentives that target areas with workforce shortages and achieving broader social objectives such as reducing regional inequalities.”