Could poor HR planning be blamed for medical vacancies?

The number of medical vacancies in the UK is on the rise, new figures reveal, which may have been caused by poor HR planning during the recession.

According to data from the NHS Information Centre, vacancy rates for doctors and dentists rose to 5.2 per cent between March 2008 and 2009, an increase of 1.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, nursing vacancies now stand at 3.1 per cent, after being recorded at 2.5 per cent last year.

However, it was found that the number of posts that have been open for more than three months in relation to the total vacancies was varied across all main staff groups.

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More long-term planning over the future of NHS workforces may have helped to avoid such results.

The news comes after the Office For National Statistics revealed that the number of Britons currently unemployed has risen to 2.43 million and may reach three million by 2010.