CARING FOR WHO?: THE JOURNAL OF THE HEALTH VISITORS' ASSOCIATION

A recent poll of more than 1,000 NHS staff suggested that large numbers of staff are actively considering their future career: 29% of nurses, health visitors and midwives are more likely to quit their job than a year ago due to unhappiness about pay, physical exhaustion and frustration over understaffing. This is equivalent to approximately 100,000 nurses and HVs saying they are likely to leave their job after a year of struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic. Other pandemic-related concerns included isolation, home-working and social distancing. As the crisis continues, one year on it seems the toll on healthcare professionals in general, and community practitioners (CPs) in particular, is only just coming to light. Here, Bird explores the effect ofthe pandemic on CP wellbeing and the support available.