Nurses in NHS hospitals and care homes are facing severe health issues and emotional distress due to persistent understaffing, reveals a concerning survey released today. The Royal College of Nursing highlighted that workforce shortages are leading to nightmares, panic attacks, and employees feeling compelled to continue working despite being unwell.
The union disclosed a significant increase in calls from exhausted staff members, with the advice line projected to receive the highest volume of inquiries this year since 2022. A survey involving over 20,000 UK nursing professionals demonstrated a rise in the frequency of working while sick, with 66% admitting to doing so multiple times annually, a notable increase from 49% in 2017.
Stress emerged as the primary factor contributing to illness among staff members, cited by 65.1% of respondents, a surge from 50% in 2017. The report indicated that both the number of individuals working while unwell and attributing stress as the main cause had reached the highest levels in eight years.
Moreover, the survey highlighted that 70% of nurses exceed their contracted hours weekly, with approximately 52.1% of them working additional hours without compensation. Official NHS data for June revealed a sickness absence rate of 4.9% for NHS staff in England, equating to about one in 20 employees.
Notably, anxiety and stress accounted for 29% of lost full-time equivalent days due to sickness among NHS staff in June, with nurses representing 28% of this figure. Testimonies from healthcare professionals illustrated the dire consequences of understaffing, with instances of chronic illnesses, nightmares, and feelings of unsafety reported across various healthcare settings.
In response to these distressing findings, RCN’s General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, emphasized the detrimental impact of working in understaffed environments on nursing staff’s well-being and patient care outcomes. The need for urgent action to alleviate the overwhelming pressures faced by healthcare workers was underscored.
The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the invaluable contributions of nurses and outlined ongoing initiatives to enhance working conditions, including the implementation of occupational health support, enhanced staff standards for flexible working arrangements, and efforts to combat workplace violence and harassment. Measures to create more job opportunities for qualified nurses and midwives were also highlighted to alleviate the strain on the existing workforce.