£1bn 'lost hours' bill for NHS

Research into the work of 861 UK hospital nurses found they spend almost four hours a week on average searching for medication, patient records and medical devices, the equivalent of about 23 days a year of lost time.

The research by GS1 UK, the data standards organisation, working with the Nursing Standard journal, found more than a quarter of nurses said patient records and laboratory results go missing at least once a day.

Only 10 per cent who completed the online questionnaire earlier this year said they felt they had the time to check patient records thoroughly all the time. Nearly a third, or 31 per cent, said they believed the use of physical patient records, instead of electronic systems, were responsible for causing problems with patient care.

More than a third of nurses said they faced daily shortages of medical supplies, and one in four, said patient records and laboratory results went missing at least once a day.