THE NHS is in crisis, with a shortage of doctors, nurses and midwives crippling the health service across England.

A recent report from a cross-party group of MPs led by former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Government must tackle "the greatest workforce crisis in history in the NHS" as it deals with the aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic.

We have taken a look at NHS figures for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay to see how the workforce has changed in recent years, as the crisis across the country deepened.

Doctors

The latest figures from NHS Digital show there were the equivalent of 587 full-time doctors as of April at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

This was in line with last year but up from 456 in April 2016 – when comparable figures for all professions began – equating to a rise of 29 per cent over the last six years.

Midwives

At the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, there were 139 midwives in April – down from 157 last year.

The Royal College of Midwives said people are leaving the industry because "morale is shattered".

Nurses and Health Visitors

The figures also show there were 1,793 nurses and health visitors at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay in April.

This is up from 1,718 last year and 1,245 at the start of the pandemic.

Sickness Rates

At the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, 7.1 per cent of full-time staff days were lost due to sickness absence in March.

In March 2019, the rate stood at 4.9 per cent.