Overworked nurses 'put patients at greater risk of infection'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2181084/Overworked-nurses-patients-risk-infection.html#ixzz22954N0mn

From 2009

We need more nurses on our wards
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/27/nhs-health

Things haven't changed have they?

not yet but they will: Thousands of nurses cut from the NHS: official figures http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9423559/Thousands-of-nurses-cut-from-the-NHS-official-figures.html

Nurses at a cash-strapped hospital trust are being forced to clean beds and scrub wards to make up for a lack of funding for full-time cleaners, it has been claimed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9440250/Nurses-cleaning-wards-at-cash-strapped-hospitals.html

Does ‘nurse burnout’ increase rates of infection?

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/07July/Pages/Is-nurse-burnout-putting-patients-at-risk-of-infection.aspx

Nurses look after 15 patients at a time

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9451582/Nurses-look-after-15-patients-at-a-time.html

Lives in danger: Just one nurse for every 15 patients says watchdog

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/government-nhs-cuts-mean-lives-1224660

The NHS is heading for “disaster” because nursing training places are being cut even though record numbers of nurses are set to retire and the population is ageing, the Prime Minister has been warned.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9560929/NHS-heading-for-disaster-over-lack-of-nurses.html

Patient safety has been 'profoundly' put at risk by cuts to nurses and midwives with seven a day axed since the last General Election in a move that has seen 6,000 posts lost.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9565112/Almost-6000-fewer-nurses-in-NHS-since-election-figures.html

Nurses are too busy to care for patients, the head of a nursing union has claimed after an MP accused hospital staff of treating her husband "like a battery hen" before he died.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9734875/Nurses-too-busy-to-care-for-patients.html

Student who suffered a stroke claims she was ignored by hospital nurses 'stretched beyond their limits' on busy ward

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2256107/Student-suffered-stroke-claims-ignored-hospital-nurses-stretched-limits-busy-ward.html#ixzz2Gr6eu7hS

NHS staff shortages 'costing lives'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9825273/NHS-staff-shortages-costing-lives.html

Patients' families told to 'help nurses feed and wash them' in hospitals by controversial report into pressures on NHS

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2269001/Patients-families-told-help-nurses-feed-wash-hospitals-controversial-report-pressures-NHS.html#ixzz2JDSGHjGf

Gloucestershire hospital nurses 'too busy' to feed patient http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-21231707

Nurses voice concerns over understaffing of wards

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9845355/Nurses-voice-concerns-over-understaffing-of-wards.html

NHS 'life coach' Jayne Morris under fire for telling staff to sleep on the job

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9905757/NHS-life-coach-Jayne-Morris-under-fire-for-telling-staff-to-sleep-on-the-job.html

Nurses 'drowning in sea of paperwork' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22206882

NHS hospital staffing levels dangerous, say nurses
http://www.pharmatimes.com/mobile/13-05-13/NHS_hospital_staffing_levels_dangerous_say_nurses.aspx

Ben Adams

A group of nursing and patient organisations in the UK are warning that staffing levels on a number of hospital wards in the NHS in England are “unsafe”.

The Safe Staffing Alliance (SSA) – which includes the Royal College of Nursing, Unison and the Patients Association - says wards often have just one registered nurse looking after eight patients.

In a statement, the SSA said: “For the sake of clarity, more than eight patients per registered nurse is the level considered to be unsafe and putting patients at risk. It is not a recommended minimum.

“For nurses to provide compassionate care which treats patients with dignity and respect, higher levels will be needed and these should be determined by every healthcare provider.”

The SSA says research shows that when nurses are asked to look after more than eight patients there is an increased risk of harm or death.

The Alliance quoted a survey of almost 3,000 nurses at 31 English hospitals, which found that wards were run with a ratio of one nurse to eight patients about 40% of the time.

The survey also found that almost half of nurses had seen patients suffer as a result of services being cut – but it also revealed that the majority (58%) of nurses said they were “still proud” to work for the NHS.

In response to these findings, the government health minister Dr Dan Poulter said in a statement: “It is for hospitals themselves to decide how many nurses they employ, and they are best placed to do this. Nursing leaders have been clear that hospitals should publish staffing details and the evidence to show that staff numbers are right for the care needs of the patients that they look after.

“Overall, the number of clinical staff in the NHS has risen and the number of admin staff has fallen by 18,000.”

Poulter said a new ‘chief inspector of hospitals’ will be given the power to take action if hospitals were found to be compromising patient care by not having the right number of staff on wards.

Over-stretched NHS hospital could bring in POLICE OFFICERS to deal with nursing shortage

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2335276/Over-stretched-NHS-hospital-bring-POLICE-OFFICERS-deal-nursing-shortage.html#ixzz2VC8gYUjW

Nurses 'ration care due to time pressures' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23489094

NHS safety report set to call for minimum staffing levels
Berwick review expected to recommend legal duty for doctors, nurses and other health workers to admit mistakes

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/05/nhs-safety-report-berwick-review

Two-thirds of nurses have considered resigning, says survey
Royal College of Nursing report finds plummeting morale and stress levels soaring amid cuts and poor working conditions

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/31/nirses-want-resign-two-thirds

Be open over nurse numbers, hospitals urged by MPs http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24124526

Short-staffed hospitals forced to recruit nurses from overseas after axing 5,000 jobs
Around 37 NHS Trusts have sent managers to a recruitment event abroad
A further 12 Trusts admit they are planning to hire from overseas
Comes after figures showed 43% of hospitals have less than one nurse to every eight patients


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2424980/Short-staffed-hospitals-forced-recruit-nurses-overseas-axing-5k-jobs.html#ixzz2fKgvijIp

Kings Mill Hospital: Nurses in tears as 'horrendous' understaffing hits patients, says watchdog
Figures reveal 5,500 nursing posts have been cut since Coalition came into office

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/kings-mill-hospital-nurses-in-tears-as-horrendous-understaffing-hits-patients-says-watchdog-8844917.html

Stress on nurses putting patients at risk, warns RCN
Royal College of Nursing survey finds that four out five nurses questioned still went to work last year despite feeling unwell

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/30/stress-nurses-patients-risk-rcn

Health: third of trusts fill nurse shortfalls from abroad
Nursing Times report says findings are proof of trusts recruiting in Europe amid new shortage of NHS-registered nurses

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/14/health-trusts-nurse-shortfalls-recruit-abroad

Union claims nursing hit by 'hidden workforce crisis' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24874326

Jeremy Hunt's statement on hospital staffing:
Rolling coverage of all the day's political developments as they happen, including Jeremy Hunt's Commons statement on hospital staffing levels and the government's final response to the Francis report on the Mid Staffs scandal

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/19/jeremy-hunts-statement-on-hospital-staffing-politics-live-blog

NHS patients 'frightened to ask for help' as wards 'stretched to breaking point'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/nhs/10466695/NHS-patients-frightened-to-ask-for-help-as-wards-stretched-to-breaking-point.html

Dementia patients were left hungry for hours at scandal-hit NHS trust because staff were 'running about like headless chickens'

The Ramsey Unit, in the grounds of Furness General Hospital, was closed to new admissions after the unannounced Care Quality Condition inspection
Inspectors say they were 'shocked' by what they found at the unit
Patients were offered little stimulation, were not given their medication at the right time and were left in bed long into the morning due to lack of staff
The unit has now fully reopened with 25% more staff


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2514942/Dementia-patients-left-hungry-hours-scandal-hit-NHS-trust-staff-running-like-headless-chickens.html#ixzz2m25gOVBR

NHS hospitals send overseas for nurses before winter crisis

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nhs-hospitals-send-overseas-for-nurses-before-winter-crisis-8959790.html

Safe staff levels 'should apply to NHS and care sector' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25834359

Review of nurse training to 'bring back compassion'
Nurses will be trained to be more compassionate, ministers announce, with more older workers to be recruited

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/nhs/10775103/Review-of-nurse-training-to-bring-back-compassion.html

Exclusive: One nurse for up to eight patients, hospitals to be told

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/exclusive-one-nurse-for-up-to-eight-patients-hospitals-to-be-told-9347702.html

Hospital red flag events should prompt staffing action, says Nice
Lack of patient checks or delays in issuing pain relief will act as trigger for considering increasing staff numbers

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/15/hospitals-red-flag-events-staffing-nice

Hospitals get guidelines on safe nurse numbers http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28300146

Nurses need to be fitter, to fight for the future of the NHS

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/01/nurses-obesity-fitter-nhs

Nurses 'do not have time to care properly for the dying'
Royal College of Nursing 'profoundly troubled' by poll showing nine in ten nurses do not have time to care for the dying properly or fulfil their last wishes

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11203802/Nurses-do-not-have-time-to-care-properly-for-the-dying.html