Unpaid overtime in the NHS is falling—what this means for the workforce

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Source: BMJ

Original: http://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s254.short?rss=1...

Published: 2026-02-19T02:56:04-08:00

The amount of unpaid overtime worked by NHS staff in England has fallen steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to figures from the 2024 NHS Staff Survey. In 2019, 56.2% of employees reported unpaid overtime, this proportion increased slightly during the pandemic to a peak of 57.4% in 2021, but fell to 50.3% by 2024, below pre-pandemic levels. The proportion of staff working six or more unpaid hours a week has also fallen from 14.3% in 2021 to 11% in 2024. The NHS Staff Survey is an annual survey aimed at gathering the views of directly employed NHS staff, including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, clinic staff and administrative staff.