Shift change won’t benefit the patients

I WRITE in response to the proposed changes to nurses’ shift patterns.

NHS Tayside’s director of human resources and organisational development George Doherty claims the changes are to ensure “the right staff are in the right place at the right time”.

But the same number of nurses are required over a 24-hour period. The only effect changing the working times from the way they are currently is stretching the workforce over 24 hours.

If a ward needs five nurses per shift it makes no difference the time they start, ie 15 nurses are required over 24 hours.

Savings might be made by reducing unsocial hours payments but this doesn’t benefit the patients and it does not benefit nurses’ work-life balance.

The clear benefit is to help reduce NHS Tayside’s overspend.

I suggest one way to reduce the overspend is cutting the number of directors; cutting the number of deputy directors and cutting the number of associate directors. Cut the red tape.

A well-rested workforce, with high morale, will benefit patient safety more than a workforce which is demoralised and over-worked.

N.

TO my mind it is not the people sitting in offices looking at rotas on pieces of paper that should be determining shift changes for nurses. Ask the nursing staff themselves — and listen to their replies.

Nurses are not lazy by nature and will provide a solution they feel is not just best for them but best for their patients too.

Let them choose.