How Many Temporary Staff Are Being Used in the NHS?

NHS England used to publish regular data on what proportion of gaps were being filled, but they stopped at the end of 2018. There are currently about 50,000 vacancies for nursing staff and 9,000 for medical staff. That suggests there could be a real shortage of roughly 10,000 nursing staff and 1,000 medical staff in the NHS in England. Also, relying on temporary staff to fill large gaps left by vacancies isn't ideal. It can be expensive and disruptive.