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The NHS often appears to be in a state of permanent crisis. Recently, there've been headlines about long waiting times for ambulances and the huge backlog for routine surgery. Before that, the Health Service faced a two-year pandemic which may rear its head again this winter.

But the NHS also has a big underlying problem. It has tens of thousands of vacancies for doctors, nurses and other medical workers – and that makes all the other pressures on the Health Service even harder to handle.

So why does the NHS have a staffing problem? And what can be done to fix it?

Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room are:
Annabelle Collins, Senior Correspondent at Health Service Journal
Alison Leary, Professor of Healthcare and Workforce Modelling at London South Bank University
Suzie Bailey, Director of Leadership and Organisational Development at The Kings Fund
Mark Pearson, Deputy Director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD,
Nigel Edwards, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust

Producers: Bob Howard, Kirsteen Knight and Simon Watts. Editor: Tara McDermott. Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar. Production co-ordinator: Siobhan Reed.

PHOTO CREDIT: (Getty Images)