2 in 3 nurses ‘too busy to properly care for patients’

SCOTLAND’S nurses cannot provide the level of care they would like to because they are under too much pressure, a damning survey shows.

With nursing vacancy rates at a record high, staff on the nation’s wards are ‘overworked’ and ‘under-resourced’.

The Royal College of Nursing in Scotland asked thousands of nurses to give their views on their working life.

Of those who responded, 60 per cent said they are ‘under too much pressure at work’ and ‘too busy to provide the level of care they would like’.

And 52 per cent said they work beyond their contracted hours on a regular, if not permanent, basis. The study also found 69 per cent had experienced verbal abuse from patients or their relatives, and 37 per cent had been bullied.

Almost 2,000 RCN members in Scotland responded to the survey. One nurse said: ‘The most upsetting and stressful part of my job is being unable to give good patient care due to poor staffing levels... and unfortunately it has become ‘normal’ to work under this constant stress.

‘Never have I felt pressure like this in my career and I have never felt so undervalued.’

Theresa Fyffe, RCN Scotland Director, said: ‘There are simply too few nursing staff and working in such a depleted workforce is like having an arm and a leg tied behind your back.

‘At its best, nursing gives people a sense of identity, pride, achievement and huge fulfilment. But it’s clear nurses and health care support workers are feeling overworked in underresourced environments.’

NHS Scotland is short of more than 4,000 nursing and midwifery staff. The vacancy rate for nurses and midwives increased to 6.3 per cent this year – the highest on record.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘The SNP has driven Scotland’s NHS into a desperate state. Its workforce planning has been so shambolic we’re seeing record levels of vacancies.

‘That all means those nurses who remain have to pick up the slack, and it’s taking its toll. The

Nationalists have been in sole charge of the NHS for more than 12 years, and have to take full responsibility for this disgraceful state of affairs.’

Scottish Labour Health spokesman Monica Lennon said: ‘Scotland’s NHS is facing a workforce crisis.

‘Staff are now bearing the brunt of 12 years of broken promises from the SNP.’

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: ‘We value the dedication of our hard-working nurses and we take their welfare very seriously.

‘This year, we passed our new safe staffing legislation which will help ensure that our health boards have the right number of staff in the right place.’