London nurses priced out of capital by housing costs

The worrying figure was revealed today by the Royal College of Nursing, which polled nearly 1,400 of its members working across the city

“Sadly too many nurses feel a career in London is not a viable option for them”

Claire Champion

The survey found 79% of respondents were worried about the cost of their accommodation while 76% said housing costs were taking up a bigger share of their income than five years ago.

Nearly three quarters – 74% – said recent government decisions on pay have made it more difficult for them to live in the capital. However, roughly the same proportion said they would be more likely to stay in London if their housing needs were better served.

With elections for London mayor imminent, the RCN is calling on Boris Johnson’s successor to devise an action plan to support healthcare workers to live in the capital and ensure there are enough to deliver safe care.

“This survey of London nurses shows that the spiralling cost of housing is directly contributing to the recruitment crisis faced by our region’s health service,” said RCN London regional director Bernell Bussue.

“With staffing shortages in London getting worse by the year, while patient need continues to go up, essential services are being stretched to breaking point,” he said.

“The new mayor needs to show real leadership and ensure that nursing staff are able to live and work here in the numbers needed to keep patients safe,” he added.

Steps the RCN wants the mayor to take include reintroducing and strengthening London’s key worker housing regulations.

It wants any new homes built on NHS land to be offered first to low-paid NHS staff and for there to be discounted travel for London health staff to help them with the costs of getting to work.

The call has the backing of major London hospitals including University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, as well as NHS Employers chief executive Danny Mortimer.

“This survey reinforces the problems trusts have in recruiting and retaining staff in London where housing costs continue to rise,” said Mr Mortimer.

Claire Champion, director of nursing at Lewisham and Greenwich, said her organisation wanted nurses to be able to “build life-long careers living and working in our capital city”.

“Sadly too many nurses feel a career in London is not a viable option for them, and are leaving in order to afford homes that suit their long-term needs,” she said.

“We urgently need to address the housing and social needs of nurses by developing and prioritising a variety of key worker accommodation for them, to ensure we can attract and retain a stable nursing workforce now and in the future,” she added.