Hospital bosses want action on NHS staffing

The NHS is "flying blind" over future staffing needs and a lack of planning will mean that waiting times for patients will increase and standards of care will slip, leading medics have said.

A new poll of NHS chiefs in England found that 98% believe staff shortages will slow down the speed at which the health service can treat the 6.1million people waiting for hospital care.

It also found that 97% of

NHS trust leaders believe that current workforce shortages are having a "serious and detrimental" impact on services.

The new survey of 236 NHS leaders, conducted by NHS Providers, found that the majority were concerned that waiting times and standards of care would slip without proper plans for future staffing needs.

The poll highlighted particular concerns about shortages of nurses and midwives and a current shortfalls of radiographers is preventing progress in creating diagnostic hubs – a key aspect pf the NHS' future plans and its ability to tackle the record waiting list.

NHS Providers deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery, said: "NHS trusts and their overstretched staff are working incredibly hard to cut waiting times against a backdrop of worryingly high numbers of Covid-19 cases in hospitals, but they're doing this with one hand tied behind their backs.

"Our survey makes clear the grave consequences of staffing gaps.

"We need the Government to commit to publishing regular assessments of how many health and social care staff are needed to keep pace with projected demand and set out how it plans to tackle 110,000 NHS staff vacancies and make workloads sustainable."