Staff shortages put patient safety at risk according to survey

A survey conducted by Nurses.co.uk has shown that anoverwhelming majority of NHS nurses believe staff shortages are putting patientsafety at risk.

In fact, only 1 percent of the more than 550 respondentsdisagreed with the notion that patient safety is at risk. Furthermore, 95percent of nurses said they are unable to carry out tasks to the best of theirability because of the staffing crisis.

With the current shortage of nurses and midwives standing atapproximately 40,000, inadequate pay, the removal of the student bursary, andBrexit have all been cited as recruitment and retention barriers. This surveydraws a clear an unavoidable line between staffing problems and the impactthey’re having on the frontline.

The survey also shows that 86 percent of nurses would consider leaving the NHS as a result of the staffing crisis. This alarming statistic suggests the situation could well get worse before it gets better.

Ninety-four percent of nurses stated that they’re morephysically tired due to the shortages, while 92 percent say their stress levelshave increased. Worryingly, 85 percent also say that the new Pay Deal will nothelp to solve the crisis.

Significantly, 88 percent also said that trainee numberscannot be boosted without re-introducing the bursary. The removal of thebursary in 2015 resulted in a 30 percent drop in would-be applications, so thissurvey supports the view that it was a flawed decision.

The survey also included more than 500 personally writtencomments, all of which painted a picture of life at the forefront of the NHS.Typical examples were:

Stats and reports that show the scale of the staffing crisisare abundant. What this survey shows, through the responses and comments ofnurses themselves, is precisely how this crisis is manifesting itself inhospitals.