Four in ten nurses set to quit our ailing NHS
NEARLY half our nurses are so fed-up and exhausted they want to quit the NHS.
Stress, hours, bad pay and patient safety fears have led to crashing morale.
A bleak survey shows 43 per cent want to walk out now. Half are under daily pressure to save cash.
One nurse said: “Everyone is pushed to the limit of capability.”
Three-quarters say there are not enough staff to look after people safely. The same number feel unfairly paid and under-valued.
Grim
One nurse said she and her colleagues cared for up to 30 patients, when guidelines state it should be eight. Another planned to quit to work at Tesco.
The poll, carried out by the Sunday Mirror with Nursing Standard magazine, paints a grim picture in the week the NHS marked its 70th anniversary.
The only ray of light is that 68 per cent still say they feel proud to have played a role in the NHS.
Vacant nursing posts in England have reached a new high of 40,000.
Last night, Janet Davies, Royal College of Nursing chief, said: “This tragic situation is the result of years of cost-cutting and ineffective planning.
“Mortality levels increase when the level of registered nurses falls. Patients pay the heaviest price.”