Nurses furious after NHS axe agencies

Under- fire NHS bosses are heading for another crisis as hard- working nurses buckle under pressure, according to senior members of staff.

Nurses spoke out over claims NHS Ayrshire and Arran managers introduced a blanket ban on the use of agency staff.

The health board had come under fire for soaring costs on agency nursing staff, with as much as £ 1,600 spent to cover just one shift.

But now nurses say they have been forced to bear the brunt of the budget cuts – with one nurse responsible for as many as 15 patients on a 12hour nightshift.

A senior nurse, who asked not to be named, said: “There’s no way one person can provide safe care for 15 patients. When I have the time and staff to look after patients I love my job but we are on our knees.”

Following an inquiry into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust in England, which alleged between 400 and 1,200 patients died as a result of poor care, guidelines were introduced recommending one nurse for every eight patients on a ward.

But staff at NHS Ayrshire and Arran say this has been ignored as managers try and cut back on soaring agency costs – leaving overworked staff to pick up the pieces.

Nurses also say they have turned down “bank” shifts – where existing of staff take on extra hours – because of problems getting paid.

Professor Hazel Borland, nursing director at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, denied there was a “blanket ban” but admitted they are trying to curb the use of agency staff.

She said: “Any decision taken about the use of supplementary nursing staff is always taken with quality of care and safety of patients and staff as a priority.

“We have an improvement plan in place to reduce our use of agency nurses as we always wish to use our own staff in the first instance and ensure effective use of our resources.

“Before going to agencies for staff, we use our ‘ nurse bank’ and offer extra hours to existing part- time workers.

“We only use agency nurses to maintain services when all other solutions have been considered and the use of agency staff is required to provide a safe level of service.”