A record number of staff left their posts at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust last year, new figures show.

It comes as the number of resignations across England soared, with nursing, doctor and midwife trade unions highlighting poor pay and a lack of mental and physical support as critical reasons for the exodus.

NHS Digital figures, which are rounded to the nearest five, show around 865 NHS staff resigned from their roles at Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust in 2021-22.

This was up from approximately 590 in 2019-20 – the year leading up to the coronavirus pandemic – and the highest number since records began a decade earlier.

A Royal Berkshire NHS Trust spokesperson said: “The Trust has launched a major drive focused on recruitment and retention looking at new and innovative ways of retaining our existing staff and attracting new people to come and work for us. 

"This includes improving our flexible working offer, investing in overseas nurse recruitment and providing more opportunities for apprenticeships.

"We offer a very attractive package to our staff including the new bespoke staff health and wellbeing centre which offers a wide range of services providing physical, emotional and psychological benefits through exercise, socialising and gardening. It includes fitness classes, gym, quiet spaces and activity sessions.

"We provide staff with free bus travel to work from Reading town centre to the hospital along with a free park and ride service to work. We provide free on-site Health Checks for all staff over 40 years old.

"We also recently introduced a new ‘earnings on demand’ staff benefit which gives staff more flexibility on when they receive some of their wages enabling them to access accrued wages before payday. And our staff are also encouraged to make use of the wide range of learning and development opportunities to further enhance their skills and knowledge.”