There are more than 2,000 registered nurse vacancies in Wales, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

The RCN in Wales released its 2024 edition of the Nursing in Numbers report, shedding light on the state of the Welsh nursing workforce.

The report reveals 2,001 registered nurse vacancies within NHS Wales health boards.

This shortage contributes to NHS Wales's heavy dependence on temporary agency staff, which cost taxpayers £142 million in 2023-24.

Nurses in NHS Wales are also reported to contribute 73,651 additional hours each week beyond their contractual obligations, equivalent to the workload of 1,964 full-time nurses.

RCN Wales executive director, Helen Whyley, said: "Our findings sound a clear warning; they also show the way forward.

"If the cabinet secretary for health and social care wants to make a difference to patients, these are the issues he must focus on.

"There is a strong link between shortages of registered nurses and increased patient mortality, with some research putting the increase as high as 41 per cent."

The report also highlights the dire consequences of the nursing shortage.

It warns of unsafe corridor care in accident and emergency departments, patients being treated in storage areas, and wards operating over capacity.

Ms Whyley added: "Nursing is a brilliant, skilled, complex career but when the personal cost gets too great, nurses leave.

"To start to tackle this problem, nursing staff need to be paid fairly for the work they do.

"The Welsh government has the tools to bring this about."