NHS workload leaves nurses feeling suicidal

NURSES are turning to alcohol or considering suicide because they are under so much pressure, a survey has revealed.

Three-quarters claim to be too busy to take breaks, while nearly three in five often finish a shift without having had time to drink a glass of water.

The poll of almost 2,000 NHS nurses found many describing a lack of breaks, high workloads, hunger and dehydration affecting their well-being.

One said she had kidney stones because she had not been able to drink enough, while another had a ‘meltdown’ and suicidal thoughts. A third warned: ‘The workload is unmanageable.’

Kim Sunley, of the Royal College of Nursing, said: ‘It is sad that not taking breaks seems to now have become the norm.’

The findings, in the Nursing Standard, come as one in ten leave the profession each year.