RCN warns of chronic staff shortages

A new report has urged healthcare leaders to examine whether they have enough staff to deliver safe patient care this winter.

Safe and Effective Staffing: Nursing Against the Odds, produced by the Royal College of Nursing, paints a perturbing picture of staff stretched to the limit and compromised patient care.

Over half of the 30,000 responding members claims that there were less nursing staff on shift than planned and that care quality suffered as a result, while more than a third said they had to leave elements of patient care undone due to a lack of time. A further two-thirds said they worked at least an hour over shift unpaid.

The RCN, like many healthcare bodies, is calling for increased funding for health and care services to meet patient demand.

Janet Davies, RCN chief executive, said: “When this many professionals blow the whistle, they cannot be overlooked. The nursing shortage is biting hard and needs the attention of ministers. This warning comes from the very people they cannot afford to lose.”