Latest NHS Wales trends report shows workforce growth and stability
Published 16/12/2025
Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) has published the latest NHS Wales workforce trends report, summarising key patterns and insights as at 31 March 2025. The report reflects the position up to this date and does not cover developments that have emerged since April 2025.
The analysis highlights several positive movements within the NHS Wales workforce during 2024–25, including:
- greater workforce stability
- a decrease in nurse vacancies
- a reduction in agency spend
- stabilised turnover in key areas such as Nursing and Midwifery.
The report provides a comprehensive overview of the workforce, including demographic trends, workforce spend, size and shape, sickness absence, retention, and indicators linked to workforce sustainability. These insights support NHS Wales organisations, Welsh Government and HEIW in understanding the workforce position and planning for future needs.
The analysis also highlights a number of ongoing pressures, such as the ageing workforce. These issues are important considerations for future workforce planning and will inform wider work across NHS Wales to support supply, retention and staff wellbeing.
Craig Barker, Assistant Director of Analytics at HEIW, said:
“We are proud to publish this report because it offers a clear, evidence-based view of the NHS Wales workforce as at 31 March 2025. It provides valuable insights for colleagues across the system and supports effective, data-driven workforce planning and development.”
Find out more
The full report and supporting resources are available via the HEIW website: Understanding the workforce - HEIW
The Internal NHS community can also find the report on the HEIW Data and Analytics Portal:
https://nhswales365.sharepoint.com/sites/HEI_Data%20and%20Analytics%20Portal/SitePages/Home.aspx
(This also contains other useful analysis and information).
Staff, trainees and partners are encouraged to explore the insights within the report and use them to support local and national workforce planning discussions. For further information, please contact the HEIW Workforce Data & Analytics Team