Fears for patient safety as NHS axes nurses

Nurses also told the union they were coming under mounting pressure in the face of cuts, with posts left unfilled and recruitment freezes. There are fears that care may be “dumbed down” as a result of not having the right number and balance of staff.

The RCN is collating figures on the number of job losses at NHS trusts across England.

At the last count, 27,000 jobs had been earmarked for cuts.

This includes redundancies, posts not being filled when staff retire or leave, and a diluting of the skill mix (balance of fully qualified staff with less-qualified assistants).

Of those questioned in the survey, 46 per cent said that there had been unfilled vacancies in their workplace for more than six months, while 40 per cent said there was currently a recruitment freeze.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the RCN, said the Government’s reforms of the NHS and the drive to find £15 to £20bn annually in “efficiency savings” added to the pressure.

“The results of our survey act as a reality check for those saying that cuts aren’t biting in the NHS,” he said.

“It is deeply worrying that some nurses are telling us that they do not have enough staff to deliver quality care and that safety could be compromised.

“The NHS is about to go through a very shaky transition period as a result of a far-reaching reform programme.

“Coupled with the drive to make efficiency savings, we are concerned at the NHS’ ability to cope, especially as staff are clearly under so much pressure.

“What we are hearing is that there are fewer staff doing more work, and nurses themselves are saying it could have a damaging effect on patient care.

“The health service is facing unprecedented change, uncertainty and economic challenges.

“Throughout this period it is vital that managers do not lose sight of the basics - having the right number and balance of staff to provide safe care.”

The RCN has published indicators to help trusts monitor their staffing levels.

Dr Carter said: “What we don’t want to see is healthcare organisations ‘dumbing down’ and only providing a core standard of care.

“Each organisation must be aiming for the very best for patients.

“It is imperative that we don’t see a growing gap between minimum standards and high-quality care.”

One staff nurse from Yorkshire who works on an orthopaedic ward told the RCN staffing levels had never been so poor.

“Our throughput of patients is increasing, and we are expected to give as high quality care as before but with reduced levels of staffing.

“We regularly work with two qualified staff and one healthcare assistant to cover the ward during the day. Night staff levels are often just one qualified member of staff and one healthcare assistant.”

The nurse said this occurred with patients who had just emerged from operations who needed “high levels of care”.

Quality of hospital care ‘will improve’

The Department of Health says it thinks the quality of patient care will improve, and there has been a rise in the number of nursing staff over the past 12 months.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “The NHS budget will increase by £10.7bn over the next four years, so with innovation and more preventative and productive services, we expect the quality of patient care to improve.”

The spokesman added: “The NHS must still find efficiency savings but we have been clear that every penny saved - including a 45 per cent reduction in management costs - will be reinvested to support front-line services and improve quality.”