| 17 July 2025
The NHS continues to experience ever-growing demand for its services, with only finite resources available to support it.
The mismatch between patients’ needs and the capacity of healthcare providers has for some time now led to a general sense of the NHS being a system under pressure.
So, what factors are driving these imbalances and how can the workforce be better supported to bridge the gap between demand and capacity?
Let us first look at the main demographic and system-wide demand pressures facing the UK health sector.
An ageing population
As life expectancy increases, so does the complexity of care. Older adults are more likely to live with multiple conditions, requiring coordinated, ongoing support across health and social care. In 2022, life expectancy in the UK reached 79.4 years for men and 83.2 years for women, compared to 77.5 years for men and 81.8 years for women 20 years ago. What’s more, the number of people in England living with ‘major illness’, such as cancer or dementia, is projected to rise to 2.6 million by 2040, that’s a 37% increase since 2019.
Rising chronic illnesses
The prevalence of some long-term conditions amongst the population at large are increasing. The percentage of people living with diabetes for example, increased from 5.1% in 2008 to 7.5% in 2022. While high blood pressure (and its associated risks) has also risen from 11.3% in 2004, to 14.4% in 2022. Managing such conditions requires sustained input from already stretched primary and secondary care services.
Social care delays
With social care increasingly under pressure, delays in assessments and placements has a knock-on effect on the NHS, as people stay in hospital longer than needed. The impact of delayed discharges is equivalent to 13% of all NHS beds.
Post-pandemic repercussions
During the COVID-19 pandemic many people experienced delays in accessing care. As a result, fewer mental and physical health issues were identified early, which has led to later diagnoses and more complex care needs emerging. The knock-on effect from the pandemic can still be seen today, with the NHS waiting list for hospital treatment standing at 7.4 million in March 2025, still far above pre-pandemic levels.
How demand pressures are impacting the workforce
Burnout and increased workload
Increase demand combined with an insufficiently staffed workforce win some areas, means staff are overworked and constantly working under high-pressure circumstances, leading to emotional exhaustion and burnout. Since the pandemic, staff absences due to sickness have increased by 29% between 2019 and 2022, with the most common reason cited being anxiety, depression, stress, or other psychiatric illness.
Although the NHS has seen staff increases recently, with a 26% increase in doctors and 25% in nurses since 2020, the demand has outpaced workforce growth. In June 2025, a quarter (24.4%) of all patients waited longer than 4 hours in A&E, a significant increase to the 13.6% in June 2019.
Delayed career progression
When services are under pressure, training and development often take a back seat, meaning staff miss out on key career-growing opportunities, which can lead to unfulfillment in their roles. NHS Employers acknowledges that one of the top reasons for staff leaving is that they do not receive development or the career progression that they need.
Retention challenges
High stress, limited progression opportunities, and the lack of support all contribute to low staff morale and attrition. NHS staff engagement surveys suggest that staff feel generally demoralised, overburdened by bureaucracy, and sidelined by top-down decision-making. The loss of autonomy and post-pandemic strain has driven experienced professionals away.
Bridging the gap: workforce planning is key
Whilst capital investment in new hospitals, equipment and technology helps the provision of care, without a sustainable, well-supported workforce, its impossible to meet increasingly complex healthcare needs. Here’s how strategic workforce planning can make a tangible difference to the quality and availability of healthcare services:
- Staff retention: Investing in training, wellbeing, and flexible career pathways to build a stronger workforce.
- A more resilient workforce: Training professionals to better prepare, respond, and recover from adverse events, such as a COVID-19 style pandemic.
- Future planning: Anticipating future demand, and forecasting where shortages are likely to occur, allows organisations to recruit, train, and ultimately retain staff in high-need areas.
Valuing, supporting, and strategically growing the people who hold the system together leads to better patient outcomes.
How can we help?
At Skills for Health, we help organisations turn strategic goals into real-world impact. From scenario-based workforce planning and skills gap analysis, to role redesign, competency frameworks, and training strategy development, our team supports clients to:
- Anticipate future service demands.
- Build flexible career pathways.
- Integrate health and social care teams.
- Improve recruitment, retention, and staff wellbeing.
- Align workforce capacity with patient need.
If you’re looking for workforce development support, we have specialists who can meet you virtually or face-to-face to discuss your challenges and goals. Find out how we can help develop your integrated workforce to meet the needs of the future. Fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch.