Health service staffing is compromising patient health, says UNISON

Almost half of NHS workers on the front line of patient care say there are not enough staff on their shift to ensure patients are treated safely and with compassion, a new survey published today (Friday) by UNISON reveals. The study illustrates the effect of chronic understaffing in the health service, with unfilled posts and uncertainty about the future status of many workers having an impact on patients, says UNISON. The snapshot survey Just Another Day examined attitudes and experiences for staff across the UK during one working day – the 24 hours of Tuesday 18 September 2018. The aim is to paint a picture of how staff felt about the pressures they were under. The public service union, which represents hundreds of thousands of people in a range of health professions, is warning the government it must pump significant funds into the NHS to fix the problems caused by years of austerity. In addition, ministers must put a greater focus on apprenticeships to usher more people into healthcare professions. Almost half (45%) of the respondents who were directly involved with patient care (6,778 out of 15,134 respondents) said there were not enough staff on their shift to deliver a safe, dignified and compassionate service. Some departments were more severely affected than others. Hardest hit were those in acute inpatients where almost three in five (59%; 1,381 out of 2,345) said staffing was insufficient. It was also a serious issue for those in mental health (45%; 996 of 2,2...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Press release NHS patient safety Sara Gorton Source Type: news