The words to use
- Vacancy rate
- The share of funded posts that are empty. It measures budgeted posts, not clinical need, so it can fall when posts are cut as well as when they are filled.
- Leaver rate
- The share of staff who leave in a year. For qualified clinical staff it was 9.4% in the year to December 2025, the lowest in a decade.
- WHO safeguards (red) list
- The WHO's 2023 list of countries with the most fragile health workforces. England's code bans active recruitment from them unless a government agreement allows it.
- Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026
- The law, in force since 6 March 2026, that puts UK graduates first for foundation and specialty training posts across the UK.
- Skill mix
- The blend of professions and grades in a team. Using pharmacists, physiotherapists or physician associates where they are the right person frees doctors and nurses for work only they can do, but only with clear roles and supervision.
