A third of nurses in Central London are leaving hospitals each year, a problem still not solved by the government, a report by the Kings Fund has found.

Additionally, a study in the British Medical Journal has revealed that a third of newly qualified nurses do not register and are therefore lost to the profession, while of those that do register, 10 per cent choose not to work in the NHS.

Forum Response: The Royal College of Nursing

A spokeswoman for RCN told ePolitix: "Whilst this figures are astounding, they are sadly not new for the big London hospitals. Recruitment and retention of nursing staff in London is reaching crisis point with trusts having to rely heavily on agency nurses and internationally recruited nurses.

"40 per cent turnover of London nursing staff will only reduce if the government accepts responsibility for adequately funding nurses so that they can afford decent accommodation and the high cost of living in London. We need to make sure that trained nurses are encouraged back into the profession and that nursing is seen as a good career option so that more student nurses enter the system.

"The King's Fund figures on nursing students not registering are also very worrying. The RCN's own Labour Market Review agrees with the study, citing that overall attrition rates suggest that around 21 per cent of students who enter pre-registration nurse education and training do not register three years later.

"This report highlights the urgent need for the government to move forward with its commitment to better pay and career modernisation."

Forum Response: Unison

Dave Prentis, general secretary for UNISON told ePolitix: "Public service workers want to make a difference. But they are made to feel they are not valued when the government insists that 'private is better' and hands over control of vital health, education and local government services to private companies.

"The Audit Commission's report supports UNISON findings that recruitment and retention difficulties and staff turnover in public services are growing. We need to work on ways of engaging, valuing and supporting staff.

"And pay does matter. It may not be the only reason a person joins or leaves public service but it is the barometer by which they judge their worth.

"Large numbers of low paid public service workers do not earn enough to live on. Pay may not be everything, but below a certain level, no amount of job satisfaction is enough to keep someone in a job."