The government could consider using retired doctors and student nurses to help ease the NHS staffing shortage, in an echo of measures deployed during the pandemic.
As the health service faces one of its worst crises in history and nurses and ambulance workers strike, the prime minister’s official spokesperson today twice refused to rule out recruiting retired doctors or student nurses who have not yet fully qualified to help out.
“It's important we consider all options, and that work has been taking place in advance of this winter,” he said – but conceded that recruiting doctors who have already retired, and fast-tracking student nurses into the workplace, would create “significant challenges”.
