Nurses condemn unsafe staffing levels

Published: 13 May 2013

Senior nurses have issued an unprecedented warning about hospital ward staffing levels in England. The Safe Staffing Alliance, which includes the Royal College of Nursing, says wards regularly have one registered nurse caring for eight patients, which is unsafe.

The warning follows a study by researchers at Southampton University, King’s College London and the National Nursing Research Unit. They found that hospitals with eight patients per registered nurse would see around 20 extra deaths a year more than better staffed hospitals. The alliance has issued new recommendations that say that under no circumstances should staffing be allowed to fall to below that level.

RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter said the work echoes issues that the RCN has previously identified.

“The issues of unsafe staffing levels, unregulated health care assistants, and a financially driven culture must be addressed as part of the Government’s reform of the health service. This will raise standards of care and in turn the morale of the nursing workforce in very uncertain times,” he said.

The RCN believes that nurses need to feel valued and supported and given tools that are fit for purpose, so they can deliver the first-class care that patients deserve.

Further information

The Safe Staffing Alliance was formed by Nursing Standard as part of its Care campaign. Members include the RCN, The Patients Association, The Florence Nightingale Foundation and Unison.