NHS workers are feeling pressured

Berkshire: Nurses fear patients at risk of ‘poor care’

The NHS and the Government have responded to an NHS survey which found that nurses in Berkshire were ‘unsatisfied’ with staffing levels.

According to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the NHS staff survey shows patients in the county are at risk of ‘receiving poor care’ due to ‘persistent staff shortages’.

Published on March 30, the findings from the annual survey – which was carried out between September and November 2021 – reveal that in some NHS hospitals and health trusts in Berkshire, less than a third of nurses believe there are enough staff for them to do their job properly.

When asked whether there were enough people in their organisation to do their job, a total of 28.6 per cent of registered nurses and midwives at the Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust – which covers Maidenhead and Windsor – said they ‘strongly agree or agree’.

In the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, this figure was 29.8 per cent.

Dr Sheila Marriott, the interim regional director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in the South East, said that the Government should ‘sit up and listen’ to the survey results.

“The number of nurses simply isn’t keeping pace with the demand,” she said.

“Nurses are exhausted and demoralised – imagine trying to look after patients when you don’t have enough colleagues to help you.

“Hospitals and other care providers are working hard to recruit and retain enough nurses to fill the gaps, but they’ve been frustrated by the Government ducking its responsibility to ensure a sufficient supply of staff for years.

“When nurses say there are too few staff for them to do their job properly, the Government need to sit up and listen.

“The Government must commit to delivering and funding a workforce plan for the long term that guarantees there are enough nursing staff in the health and care system.”

Meanwhile, the survey results also reveal fewer nursing staff in Berkshire are satisfied with their level of pay than they were a year ago.

The two Berkshire NHS trusts said in a joint statement: “We know that the high levels of pressure staff have been working under will have had a knock-on effect on wellbeing, which is why both Trusts have launched a range of staff support services.

“In the recent NHS staff survey, both Trusts scored significantly better than the national average.

“Nationally, there is a shortage of clinical staff, so we have needed to be creative in introducing new ways to retain our existing staff and to attract new people to come and work for us.”

A Government spokeswoman said: “We are on track to deliver 50,000 more nurses by 2024, and there are record numbers of nurses working in the NHS with over 12,100 more nurses compared to last year.”