UK Healthcare Crisis: BMJ Study Shows Nurses Overworked, Undertrained

Today, DW is taking a break from covering U.S. health issues and taking a look across the pond.  Millie Whitehead discusses recent research that indicates a disturbing trend of missed activities and nursing care for NHS patients. Recently reported research indicates a disturbing trend of missed activities and nursing care for NHS patients. There have also been numerous reports of failing UK hospitals in the mass media. Much has been made of NHS trust and hospital executives and managers allowing bad practice to take place and multiply. Management is under significant pressure to keep costs down while still ensuring good quality care for patients. One of the ways to reduce costs is to cut the wage bill. The numbers of nurses working on wards have been reduced to what is considered the bare minimum. BMJ Research In July 2013, the BMJ, journal of the British Medical Association, published a report of a survey of almost 3,000 registered nurses who worked in the general medical or surgical wards of 46 NHS hospitals in England. The survey found that the majority of nurses did not have time to perform activities such as comforting patients and making sure they and their families understood their conditions and how to deal with them. They also often missed developing or updating nursing plans for patients. In some cases, even pain management and treatment procedures were missed during a nurse’s shift. It really seems that the bare minimum is not enough. Meanwhile the rising ...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Tags: Advocacy Career Nurses Source Type: blogs