Nurses are propping up the NHS by consistently working in excess of their contracted hours and providing last minute shift cover. Findings from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), released on the eve of its annual Congress, raise serious concerns for patient care as only a minority (17 per cent) of nurses reported having good staffing levels where they work.

The survey of 2,000 UK nurses, conducted by ICM Research for the RCN, looked at the pressures on staffing in the NHS. Almost all nurses (95 per cent) reported working in excess of their contracted hours with one in five (22 per cent) saying they did this every shift.

Today's survey comes on top of recent evidence released by the RCN showing that many nurses feel they are too busy to provide the standard of care they would like. Highlighting a growing concern around staffing pressures, just 17 per cent of respondents said that staffing levels at their place were quite good or very good and a quarter (25 per cent) said they provided last minute cover for absentee staff at least fortnightly.

The NHS is facing a huge rise in demand from an ageing population, increasing numbers of patients with long-term conditions, and knock-on effects from the challenging economic climate. Despite this, through its Frontline First campaign, the RCN has recently identified tens of thousands of NHS jobs due to be cut.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said:

"It is deeply worrying that nurses are telling us they do not have enough staff to deliver good quality care and our fear is that safety could also be compromised as a result. The NHS is going through considerable upheaval at the moment. Coupled with increasing demands on the health service including from a rise in people with long-term conditions, we are concerned at the NHS' ability to cope. Trusts need to make sure they have the right numbers and balance of staff to deal with this."

Today's survey also looked at the working conditions for nurses, including the demands placed on them. Four in ten respondents (39 per cent) said they missed their meal time at work at least three times a week, while a quarter said they rarely or never (23 per cent) took breaks at work they were entitled to. In addition, just a third (32 per cent) of nurses reported being able to get a drink of water as often as they needed to.

The health and wellbeing of staff working in the NHS is a major concern with one in five (21 per cent) nurses stating that over the last six months they had spent a week or more at work despite feeling too unwell to attend.

The RCN today called for NHS managers to prioritise making sure staff do not burn out through pressures of work. With the Boorman Review of Health and Wellbeing highlighting that the NHS could save over half a billion pounds by improving the health of its staff, the RCN said it was in the interest of patient care to keep staff well, while also helping the NHS save money.

Dr Carter added:

"On top of working long hours, nurses are reporting missing meals and even struggling to get a drink of water. Nurses are the oil in the engine of the NHS and this survey shows how much the NHS depends on their goodwill. Keeping staff healthy not only improves their motivation but helps with patient care, and ultimately this can save the NHS millions."

Notes

1. ICM Research surveyed 2004 nurses between 1 April 2011 - 6 April 2011

2. Fewer than one in ten nurses (7 per cent) feel they have the right number of staff to deliver good quality care to patients, the RCN revealed in February. You can read more on this survey here.

Source:
Royal College of Nursing (RCN)