A study of the movement of nurses and nursing skills between the NHS and the private sector in England and Wales.

An investigation of 2165 qualified nurses joining eight NHS District Health Authorities (DHAs) and 72 private sector institutions was undertaken in order to measure the skills which move between these sectors and to estimate the likely impact on NHS nursing services of any future growth in the private sector. It was found that 42% (95% confidence interval: 36%, 48%) of the nurses joining private acute hospitals and 28% (95% CI: 21%, 37%) of those joining long-stay private nursing homes came directly from the NHS workforce. Fewer qualified nurses move from the private sector to the NHS. Private acute hospitals appear to attract recruits from a specific section of the NHS workforce: nurses under 30 years of age with specialist skills such as theatre nursing, renal nursing, intensive care and oncology.