Health: the number of nurses in activity strongly overestimated, according to the ministry

Europe 1 with AFP 7 p.m., July 11, 2022

France had 127,000 fewer nurses than announced at the start of 2021, a "strong revision" due to poor consideration of retirements until that date, the Ministry of Health said on Monday.

The lists were not up to date.

Worse, their “quality has deteriorated markedly over the past ten years”, leading to “an overestimation of the workforce in activity”, notes the statistics department (Drees) in a press release.

The DREES did not take into account caregivers who had not reached the legal retirement age

In question: the "Adeli" directory (for automation of lists), on which nurses were required to register until last year, but where "cessations of activity are largely under-declared".

The Drees has therefore chosen to only take into account caregivers who have not reached the legal retirement age, therefore "under 62".

This restriction "results in a sharp downward revision of the total workforce": instead of the 764,000 nurses announced on January 1, 2021, there are now 637,000, or 17% less.

Their census now going through another directory (called RPPS), the figures for this year have not been published, pending "specific statistical adjustment work" - which also concerns physiotherapists and podiatrists.

A reduction of 23%

Other paramedical professions, still registered via Adeli, on the other hand have data stopped at the beginning of 2022, but with the same reservation linked to retirees.

Thus, the number of radio manipulators goes from 40,700 to 31,300, limiting itself to caregivers under 62, a reduction of 23%.

For rehabilitation specialties (dieticians, occupational therapists, speech therapists, orthoptists, psychomotricians), the workforce is similarly reduced by 11%, from 83,000 to just over 73,000 caregivers.