Give nurses more time to care, says RCN
Published: 28 April 2008
An increase in paperwork is preventing nurses from spending enough time caring for patients, according to a new survey for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
The snapshot survey of nurses in Scotland found that the vast majority (89 per cent) believed that non-essential paperwork had increased over the past five years but some said that clerical support in their workplace was either non-existent or had not kept pace with demand.
Almost two-fifths of nurses questioned (38 per cent) had no access to administrative support despite the majority (87 per cent) firmly believing that help with clerical duties would mean they could spend more time caring for patients. Despite the increase in clerical tasks, only a fifth of nurses (21 per cent) across the country had seen a corresponding increase in administrative support in their workplace over the past two years. Those who did have support from an administrative role had, on average, less than three hours (2.5 hours) direct help every week.
Commenting on the survey results for Scotland, RCN Scotland Director Theresa Fyffe said: “It is clear from this survey that nurses are feeling over-burdened by paperwork and that this is impacting on the time they can devote to caring for patients and supporting relatives. Some paperwork is obviously essential, but non-essential tasks should be carried out by administrative staff.
“The Scottish Government’s recent Senior Charge Nurse Review supports this message and the need to reduce the administrative burden on nurses so they can devote more time to patient care. RCN Scotland will be working in partnership over the next two years, while the role of SCN is implemented, to ensure that this message is clearly heard and that frontline nurses get appropriate administrative help.”
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More information
For further information or interviews, contact Heather Wallace on 0131 662 6172 or 07962 801 005 (out of hours).
Notes to editors
Paperwork Survey of 1,752 nurses across the UK was carried out by ICM Research for the RCN between 12 – 16 March 2008. This included 170 nurses in Scotland. Interviews were conducted by telephone and the sample was representative of all RCN members.
The following distinction was made between essential and non-essential paperwork:
Non-essential paper work includes: completing statistical returns, completing or correlating audit data for self or others, ordering supplies, other data recording, time sheets, claim forms, off duty forms, funding requests, policy documents, filing / photocopying, completing activity study sheet etc.
Essential paperwork is related to patient care, this includes: writing or reading admission details, care / treatment plans, case or other patient notes, prescription charts, test / procedure forms, home visit notes etc, complaints, incident reports, risk assessment, patient education, single assessment documentation, referrals within and outside the team, discharge summaries, writing or reading other reports on patient care or medical summaries.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.