For UK independent hospitals
You have the beds. You cannot find the staff to fill them.
Workforce shortages are the binding constraint on independent hospital growth right now. With agency nurses costing up to three times the rate of permanent staff, every unfilled post compounds the financial and operational pressure.
Two minutes. Solva follows up with specific recruitment and retention options.
- Frequent cancellation of elective procedures due to lack of staff
- Increased reliance on expensive agency staff to fill rota gaps
- Burnout and low morale among permanent staff due to increased workload
- Inability to open new beds or expand services despite physical capacity
- Reduced patient throughput and longer waiting lists for private treatments
- Increased administrative burden for scheduling and managing temporary staff
- Significantly higher staffing costs due to agency fees, potentially increasing expenditure by up to 200% compared to permanent staff
- Loss of revenue from underutilised facilities and cancelled procedures
- Negative patient experience due to delays and lack of continuity of care
- Damage to brand image and trust within the private healthcare market
England is short approximately 12,000 hospital doctors and over 50,000 nurses and midwives (Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee, 2022)
Source: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/23246/documents/171671/default/
Frequently asked questions
Why does this problem persist?
Despite increased demand for private healthcare, independent hospitals face significant constraints in expanding capacity due to a severe shortage of skilled healthcare professionals, particularly doctors and nurses. This workforce crisis, exacerbated by Brexit and the pandemic, limits the ability to utilize existing infrastructure fully, extend service offerings, and meet growing patient demand.
What is the cost of leaving it unaddressed?
Hiring agency nurses can be up to three times more costly than permanent staff (Nursing in Practice, 2022)
This is exactly what I do with UK private practices. Answer the few questions above and I'll come back personally with where to start. Paul.