Nurses: We want to quit
Almost a half of nurses looking to leave the NHS Four out of five feel undervalued and underpaid
NEARLY half our demoralised nurses are looking to quit the NHS, a bleak survey has confirmed.
Massive stress, exhausting hours, poor pay, fear of making mistakes and inability to guarantee patients’ safety have all contributed to staff wanting out of wards in their tens of thousands.
A shocking 43 per cent say they are feeling so much strain they would like to leave the profession right now.
Half are under daily pressure to save cash, have witnessed patients suffer due to Tory cuts and seen rationing of services that were free five years ago.
Three-quarters say the service no longer has enough staff to look after people safely. And an overwhelming 78 per cent – four out of five – feel undervalued and unfairly paid.
One nurse told the survey, carried out by the Sunday Mirror with Nursing Standard magazine: “Everyone is pushed to the limit of capability.”
The poll paints a grim picture in the week that saw the NHS, which employs 300.000 nurses and midwives, mark the 70th anniversary of its launch in 1948.
The only ray of light is that an amazing 68 per cent of nurses STILL feel proud to have played a role in the service.
Last night Janet Davies, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “This tragic situation is the result of many years of short-sighted cost-cutting and ineffective workforce planning.
“Too many politicians and policymakers don’t recognise the value of nursing. Extra funding must begin to
turn this around by investing in staff to stop the haemorrhaging we see.”
Our poll also found 42 per cent of nurses feel stressed most of the time and 16 per cent all of the time.
Another 42 per cent say morale is poor, with 19 per cent describing it as at rock bottom. One nurse told us she was having to care for up to 30 patients each, almost four times the one-to-eight ratio in guidelines.
Another told how 16 staff had left and been replaced by only two while shifts put out to the “bank” of floating stand-ins often went unfilled.
One nurse said: “Many colleagues are leaving or having time off for stress. They are disillusioned and work in a state of anxiety due to the fear of error in poorly-staffed wards.”
Another described their job as “like being on a production line” rather than dealing with people.
One said: “I will retire as soon as I can and work in Tesco’s.”
And another commented: “There is too much emphasis on getting the patient through the system, rather than on the best care. It seems as if the patients are an irritation.”
Others complained of far too much paperwork and bemoaned the fact that aspects of basic care had become regarded as non-essential.
A district nurse revealed the number of visits they were expected to do had doubled, adding: “We are sometimes the only person a patient sees all week and we barely have time to say hello.” Four out of ten nurses believe Brexit will hurt the NHS as foreign colleagues go back home.
And our poll also uncovered the additional strain caused by hospital parking, with a quarter of nurses saying they have been penalised with fines after working over their shift.
Horrifically, one was punched in the face during a car-jacking after a lack of space in the hospital grounds forced her to park outside.
Fully qualified nurses start on pay of just over £23,000 and vacant posts in England have hit a high of 40,000.
Nursing Standard editor Lynn Eaton said: “Despite a recent pay rise after years of a pay cap, many nurses still feel underpaid. But the bigger issue is their patients’ safety. The words ‘safe’ and ‘caring’ should be bywords in the treatment of all patients.” The Department of Health said: “There are near-record numbers of nurses working since 2010, but we know that hardworking and dedicated staff face increased pressures when patient demand is high.” The NHS in England deals with more than a million patients every 36 hours. Trusts in England ended the 2017/18 financial year £960million in debt, nearly twice the amount that was planned. nicola.small@sundaymirror.co.uk