Nurses speak out about time to care

People A smiling nurse holding a paper heart
ViewsJanuary 9th, 2013

In 2012 the RCN in Wales launched the second phase of our ‘Time to Care’ campaign. This campaign emphasises that nursing staff need to be given time to perform their role to their highest caring ability.  It emphasises the experience of care that patients and the public expect and the significance, diversity and essential nature of the nursing contribution to caring of nursing.

Every day tens of thousands of nurses and nursing staff in Wales make a positive difference to patients’ lives with active caring based on expert knowledge, experience and skill. But too often this caring is taking place under increasing pressure. Nurses and healthcare support workers feel under constant threat and fear for their patients care. The following are quotes are all from Welsh Nursing staff who have e-mailed the RCN to express their concerns.

“I work in an emergency unit. It is not unusual for us to have 3 or 4 patients waiting in the corridor. This weekend we experienced high demand on our service and had 18 patients in the corridor waiting for assessment. I can only envisage a bleak winter in which elderly patients with complex care needs are left in cold corridors for prolonged period of time.”

“Staffing levels have been cut without negotiation or consultation.   Initially when our unit opened our staffing levels were 7 morning shift, 5 on an evening shift and 3 on a night shift for 22 rehab patients.  It then reduced to 6/4/3. It has now changed again today to 5/3/3. How can this be safe practice?  Why should it be patient care that suffers?”

“10% been sliced off my staffing budget. I used to have 53.7 whole-time equivalent nursing staff – this is now reduced to 47. We are unable to support chronic condition management as well as having to delay transfer of terminally ill patients home due to lack of resources.”

“Currently due to a lack of staffing they are using student nurses as the 4th nurse by night and sending nursing auxiliaries to other wards. This means that students are counted in the numbers and are not supernumerary as they should be.”

Winter is traditionally a high-pressure time in the NHS, with more patients being admitted to hospitals, and more needing to see doctors and nurses than in the summer months.  Nurses want to provide high levels of care; however as you can see from these quotes we are being told by our members that the system is under immense pressure with short staffing levels a daily occurrence. This in turn puts pressure on the nursing staff who are trying their utmost to give the best care to their patients.

I think it is extremely important to acknowledge and celebrate nursing and nurses and the outstanding work being carried out on a daily basis, often in extremely difficult situations. Nurses face challenges every day and work under difficult circumstances. Nurses are central to high standards of patient care and they make a positive difference to patients’ lives, whether it’s a few extra minutes comforting a child or an extended conversation with a lonely elderly person and despite staff shortages and limited resources, nurses continue to give their all and make that extra effort so that patient care does not suffer. I am often told of nurses who go into work on their days off to combat under-staffing. And they won’t go home and leave their patients in the middle of an emergency or if care was needed. I have been told about nurses who have walked miles in the snow to get to their workplace or to care for patients in their homes. The compassion, dedication and skill of nurses is so clearly evident.

Let’s acknowledge the challenges faced by the nursing profession and also celebrate the dedication of our nurses who are making a difference every day.

Tina Donnelly is Director of the Royal College of Nursing, Wales.

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