Stories

Wed, 25 Mar 2026

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 'I couldn't afford rent in London as a nurse so I commuted from Wales while pregnant'

A&E nurse Georgie Scott says she was "'pushed out" of the capital because of high rent prices.
Nurse Georgie Scott was forced to leave her home in London due to high rent prices and moved back to Wales, where she now commutes 4 hours a day to work in A&E.
* Rent in London is unaffordable for nurses, with many leaving the capital to find more affordable housing.
* Data from NHS England shows that 24% of nurses in London cited "relocation" as their reason for voluntary resignation in 2025-26, compared to 11% in 2011-12.
* The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) claims that cost of housing is a significant driver of nurse migration out of London.
* Entry-level pay for nurses has increased by an average of 2.83% per year from 2015-2025, while London rent has risen by 3.53% per year.
* The RCN was "disappointed" with the proposed 3.3% pay rise for nurses and midwives in England and Wales.
* Many nurses are commuting long distances to work due to unaffordable housing, including Alicia Arias, who cycles to her hospital in central London from Woking in Surrey.
* The Mayor of London has launched a plan to build at least 6,000 rent-controlled Key Worker Living Rent homes in the capital by 2030.
* House building in London's private sector has fallen by 84% since 2015, despite the need for 88,000 new homes annually.