Holyrood must start ‘fixing this mess’, after NHs survey

Just third of workers think there are enough staff for them to do their jobs

Fewer than three in 10 nurses and midwives and only one in five ambulance service workers think the NHS has enough staff for them to do their job properly, a new survey found.

Across the NHS as a whole, 34% of staff agreed with the statement that there are enough staff in place to allow them to do their job.

However, in the Scottish Ambulance Service, just 20% agreed with this, along with 27% of nursing and midwifery staff.

The figures were revealed in the new iMatter survey of NHS staff in 2017, part of the health and social staff experience report. It also found fewer than half (46%) of NHS staff agreed they could meet all the conflicting demands of their role during their time at work.

The results led to calls for the Scottish Government to increase staffing levels.

Royal College of Nursing Scotland associate director Norman Provan said: “The survey findings support our calls for guaranteed safe staffing levels with two-thirds of those who responded stating there are not enough of them to provide safe, effective care.

“NHS staff on the frontline have spoken out, it is now up to those in positions of power to listen and to act.”

Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: “Labour has been warning about a staffing crisis in our hospitals for years – if Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t listen to us she should listen to the staff and make a start in fixing this mess.”

The survey also revealed a rise in bullying in the NHS, with 9% saying they had experienced bullying or harassment from their manager, up from 8% in 2015.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “It is encouraging to see more staff are engaged and feel empowered to speak up after we have implemented a number of measures including the whistleblowing alert and advice services and our commitment to introduce an independent national whistleblowing officer.

“All of this is contributing to an increasingly honest and open reporting culture within the NHS.”

Picture: Kris Miller. Shona Robison said she was encouraged more NHS staff were speaking out over issues.