Millennials who don’t work full-time are part of the reason the NHS has staffing problems, according to the health training body, who say that 190,000 extra front line staff by 2027 or a significant change in NHS structure is needed.
‘We are already seeing that the younger generation are wanting different things,’ said Ian Cumming, chief executive of Health Education England. ‘They’re wanting more flexibility, to choose when they work. They’re wanting to work for a couple of years and then perhaps go travelling for a year. Indeed, we are seeing a reduction already in the numbers of hours that people are working.’
Reform seems to be on the horizon for the NHS, computer diagnosis, less trained doctor’s assistants giving prescriptions and productivity boosts are all ideas being considered to help the staffing issues, according to The Times.
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But are millennials really to blame?
NHS staff numbers are actually rising, but the need for care is rising even more rapidly. A report by the health training body calculated that staff numbers are set to rise to 72,0000 by 2027 – a shortfall of 118,000 from the predicted 190,000 needed by that time.
The number of elderly people who need treatment is rising, which is one of the reasons the idea of assistants with less training being able to give out prescriptions is being considered.
To blame millennials who don’t work full time is a bit of a stretch.
Some millennials, having seen their parents nearly kill themselves over a job they worked at for decades with little thanks, choose to take a different path which may include working part time and studying for longer, taking a break from work to pursue a hobby or travel, or find other streams of income to supplement a part-time job.
The housing crisis means that younger people aren’t buying places until much later in life, and many are also having children later, so financial responsibilities aren’t tying them down as much, meaning part-time work is a viable option.
Also, there are far more options for work for millennials – including internet and social media related jobs that didn’t exist even 30 years ago, not to mention that streams of income based on hobbies such as vlogging are shaking up the way young people are earning money.
Of course we need a solution to the staffing issues the NHS is facing, but blaming millennials doesn’t seem like the right way to go.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.