Inside NHS England’s Workforce: 1.7 Million Strong and Still Growing

Like the central nervous system of the British public healthcare system, NHS England is constantly humming with activity. It employs about 1.7 million people as of early 2025, each of whom contributes in a different way to maintaining the welfare of the country. With approximately 1.5 million full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, NHS England is not only the largest employer in the UK but also among the largest in the public sector worldwide. Despite their size, these figures reflect a larger reality: a human-operated, incredibly complex system in which every individual is vital to the larger care apparatus.

This workforce has increased by more than 30% in the last ten years due to rising life expectancy, government strategy, and public need. Despite this growth, NHS England is still under increasing strain from changing patient expectations, changing demographics, and growing job openings. In addition to treating patients’ illnesses, staff members are also dealing with the psychological and practical fallout from a healthcare model that is changing under pressure.

NHS England Workforce Breakdown (2025)
Data
Total Employees (Headcount)
1.7 million
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)
1.5 million
General Practice Workforce
190,000 (154,000 FTE)
Doctors Across NHS
188,000
Nurses & Midwives
423,000
Annual Budget (2024–25)
£181.4 billion
Ethnic Minority Representation
25% of total workforce
Female Representation
74% of total workforce

The NHS workforce, by any measure, is a patchwork of commitment and disciplines. 423,000 professionals work as nurses and midwives alone, and over 188,000 physicians deal with clinical challenges on a daily basis. The remainder of the structure is made up of a very effective network of technical, administrative, scientific, and community care employees, each of whom makes a vital contribution. The structure of the entire support network behind them is just as important as who is on the front lines.

These professionals work in hospitals, community clinics, mental health facilities, ambulance hubs, and central commissioning bodies. They are incredibly adaptable in their roles. Nevertheless, the need for employees is growing more quickly than the supply. An estimated 111,000 positions remain substantively unfilled despite strong recruitment efforts, taxing teams and increasing pressure throughout the system.

Many of these gaps were momentarily filled by rapid recruitment during the pandemic. However, staffing levels decreased along with emergency funding, demonstrating that reactive policies can only offer temporary respite. The crisis now revolves around retention rather than just recruitment. Over 50% of people who leave the NHS do so voluntarily, frequently due to personal health issues or a desire for a better work-life balance. The number of people quitting for these reasons has tripled since 2013, especially among professionals in their mid-career who are balancing increasing workloads.

NHS England continues to rely significantly on its international workforce through strategic partnerships and progressive immigration policies. Approximately one in five employees of the NHS are currently foreign-born. This comprises 37% of all physicians, many of whom contribute highly valued clinical experience from non-EEA nations. However, the reliance on foreign hiring highlights an additional difficulty: domestic training pipelines, not just international hiring, are required to establish long-term sustainability.

Subtly, the NHS’s composition has changed in recent years. Employees over 55 now make up 19% of the workforce, compared to 15% in 2009. This aging population portends a wave of impending retirements, despite the fact that their experience is priceless. Immediate investment in education and apprenticeship programs, along with flexible career paths to keep older employees on board for longer, are necessary to close this impending gap.

The representational dynamic is another important one. Although they are not evenly distributed, women make up nearly three-quarters of NHS employees. For instance, only 46% of doctors are female, but almost all midwives are. Similarly, there are still significant gaps at senior management levels even though 25% of employees identify as ethnic minorities. To address this disparity, initiatives such as the Workforce Race Equality Standard have been implemented, with varying degrees of success. Nonetheless, a lot of frontline workers continue to express that they feel left out of opportunities for advancement.

The 2023 NHS Staff Survey revealed conflicting results. Only 29% of employees stated they were not thinking about leaving, and only 31% of employees were happy with their pay. These figures show a dedicated but extremely stressed workforce. Nearly one in five people reported experiencing bullying or harassment at work, which is a concerning statistic that necessitates immediate cultural change and improved support networks.

However, there is still hope for the future. By 2036, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan anticipates that it will require 2.3–2.4 million employees. If this were to happen, the NHS would employ about one in eleven workers in England, which would have a staggering social impact. This scope presents an opportunity to reimagine not only the delivery of healthcare but also its support through public trust, policy, and education.