450 resignations from Warrington and Halton Hospitals

According to the figures, almost 700 members of staff from Warrington and Halton Hospitals left between 2022 and 2023.

That is a 10-year high, and is a small increase in the number of staff resignations received by the Trust in 2020/21 - during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The NHS trust for Warrington and Halton saw the largest number of staff leave for 10 years (Image: Newsquest)

All in all, 690 members of Trust staff left in the year to March 2023.

Of this number, 450 staff members resigned from their posts.

There is a caveat with this data, as the figures cover medical and administration staff and are rounded to the nearest five.

A resignation does not always mean the individual has left the NHS completely, as the numbers also include any promotions and relocations.

The figures show that in the last year, of the Trust's staff that resigned, around 125 nurses and health visitors left their jobs, as well as 85 doctors.

Across the NHS in England, 222,690 employees left their positions - with 63 per cent of these being in the form of a resignation.

The remaining 37 per cent left for other reasons, such as retirement, dismissal or reaching the end of their fixed contract.

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers part of the NHS Confederation, said: “There is a sense that staff who deferred retirement due to the pandemic and its recovery are now choosing to enact their plans, and there is also undoubtedly significant numbers of staff moving between organisations to pursue financial and career opportunities.”

Hundreds of staff members resigned in the last year (Image: Newsquest)

Responding to the Warrington Guardian's request for comment, a spokesperson for Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Attracting, retaining, and developing staff is an important focus for us and we continue to successfully recruit from our local communities and the wider region, so that we can provide the quality of care that we aspire to for our patients.

“Our staff work exceptionally hard, and we have a range of support available for them, from physical and mental health support to financial wellbeing packages and career development programmes.

“From what former colleagues have told us on leaving the trust, we do know that there are a wide range of reasons that are influencing decisions to move on, including promotion opportunities, relocation and, more recently, staff who have now opted to retire having delayed their plans to support the pandemic response.”