UK Hospitals Experiencing Severe Nursing Shortages, New Report Finds

The present chronic nursing deficit is endangering patients’ safety, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which is urging the incoming government to invest in the nursing workforce and establish adequate nurse-to-patient ratios.

Almost 40% of community shifts are short, anywhere from 25% to 50% of the RNs they require. According to the RCN’s Last Shift survey, 1/3 of all shifts are short at least 25% of the RNs they require. When asked about the availability of nurses to attend to patients’ requirements safely, 80% of respondents expressed concern about the shortage.

According to the results of the study, nurses frequently have to care for ten, twelve, fifteen, or even more patients at once due to persistent personnel shortages. The number of patients that nurses in emergency rooms typically care for exceeds 51. There was a consistent reporting of outpatient caseloads exceeding 51 patients. The Conservative administration halted efforts to implement nurse-patient ratios in the NHS a number of years ago despite abundant data linking these measures to improved patient safety. There has been a recent push by the RCN to get safety-critical nurse-patient ratios codified into legislation.

Nurses spoke to the union about their experiences working in “completely unsafe” levels of care, constantly being pressured to do more in less time, and having to make “heartbreaking” decisions about who gets treated or not.

Approximately half of the scheduled number of registered nurses were absent from community shifts, accounting for nearly four out of ten. According to 81% of respondents across all settings, there aren’t enough nurses to ensure patient safety. 

NHS patients are neglected at an alarming rate, and many die because of inadequate care.

A nurse working in southwest England said they are always in a rush, which puts lives in jeopardy. Some patients are not adequately hydrated or fed.

The nurses maintain they need more funding.