CHANCELLOR Philip Hammond must loosen the purse strings on the NHS in his upcoming budget, Unite argued yesterday as an alarming number of nurses are leaving the profession.

Around 10 per cent of nurses from Britain have left the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register over the last 12 months, the union said.

It comes after it was reported in July that 20 per cent more people left than joined it between 2016-17.