Patients left in pain and to die alone amid NHS nurse shortages, survey finds

NHS patients are being left unseen in pain and in some cases to die alone because shifts do not have enough registered nurses, a survey shows.

The Royal College of Nursing said analysis of a survey it carried out showed that only a third of shifts had enough registered nurses on duty.

The union has also gathered testimonies from nurses who talk of always “rushing” and being asked to do more; working in “completely unsafe” levels of care; and having to make “heartbreaking” decisions on who does or doesn’t get seen.

Shortages mean individual nurses are often caring for dozens of patients at a time, the RCN said. It has called for limits on the maximum number of patients for whom a single nurse can be responsible.

Nicola Ranger, the RCN’s acting general secretary and chief executive, said the survey showed that patients were being failed.

“In every health and care setting, nursing staff are fighting a losing battle to keep patients safe,” she said. “Without safety-critical limits on the maximum number of patients they can care for, nurses are being made responsible for dozens at a time, often with complex needs.

“It is dangerous to patients and demoralising for nursing staff.”

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 1 July 2024