The RCN has warned various politicians, stating that they need to end the workforce crisis while also showing that the vacancies that are open right now are compromising care.
The Findings
The findings from the RCN employment survey show that nursing staff from up and down the UK are under an unreal amount of pressure. 6 out of 10 people have stated that they can’t provide the level of care that they want and that their patient happiness is being compromised as a result. The annual survey has been carried out since the year 1986 and it shows that not even a quarter of the respondents believe that their pay is good enough for the amount of responsibility that they have at work. 3 out of 10 have suffered some degree of physical abuse from their patients that this has all happened in the last year.
The survey has even shown that those who work as healthcare assistants are continually being asked to do the job of nurses. If you are part of a nurse agency or even a nursing recruitment agency, you will know what a drain this can be on resources. Of course, the election is not so far away now and Dame Donna Kinnair has stated that the survey should be read by all politicians. She said that the findings are doing more than just laying bare the serious consequences that happen to affect the nurses and even patients in the industry. Only time will tell if enough can be done to try and give people the support they need but ultimately this all comes down to a lack of funding. If people are not given the support they need then this causes additional stress and it puts more people under pressure, making the situation far worse than it needs to be.