NHS staff cuts leave nurses too busy for dignified care, research shows

Published on Monday 11 October 2010 14:31

NURSES in Scotland are not able to care for patients with dignity because of a lack of staff, leaders of the profession have warned.

Research by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland found that more than half of nurses (54 per cent) said they were prevented from providing dignified care to patients to a standard they were happy with.

Of these, 76 per cent blamed a lack of staff for the lower standards they felt they were able to deliver.

It comes as the NHS in Scotland is cutting staff numbers by almost 3,800, including more than 1,500 working in nursing and midwifery. Research by The Scotsman shows that more than 1,200 out of the 3,800 posts have already been cut, with the rest expected to go by the end of the financial year.

The RCN said other reasons nurses believed patient care was not dignified were that they did not have enough time (72 per cent) and because of the physical environment where they worked (28 per cent).

Opposition MSPs voiced concern about the impact of cuts on patient care.

The Scottish Government said it had told health boards that patient care must be at the centre of any future plans.

Theresa Fyffe, RCN Scotland director, said dignity was about the "core essentials that matter to people". This included having the time to help people eat, talking to patients and helping them with simple tasks such as getting to the toilet.

"Over half of our members are unable to deliver care with dignity for patients to a standard they are happy with," Ms Fyffe said. "Given that many health boards have pretty much stopped recruiting when nursing staff leave, it is extremely concerning that so many of our members say that there aren't enough staff to allow them to provide dignified care.

"If health boards continue with their recruitment freeze, this problem will only get worse."

Ms Fyffe said they accepted that with the squeeze on finances, there was a need for workforce changes. "But what concerns us is slash-and-burn cuts, where they put at risk dignity and patient safety and effectiveness," she said.

The RCN has launched its Nursing Scotland's Future campaign ahead of the Scottish Government elections next year.

It includes 15 key recommendations to improve services and patient care, covering areas such as cutting paperwork, tackling health inequalities and improving efficiency.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie expressed concern at the number of nursing posts being lost. She said: "These cuts could have a devastating effect on the NHS."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Patient safety and the quality of care are priorities in our hospitals. Every patient in every hospital in Scotland should be treated with respect and dignity at all times."Patients and their families quite rightly expect nothing less."