Nurses call for dignity to be at the heart of nursing

Published: 27 April 2008

Eight out of ten nurses admit they have left work feeling upset or distressed because they have not been able to ensure their patients have been treated with dignity. The survey of more than two thousand nurses by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) also found that nurses want dignity to be given a higher priority in the workplace, but they face significant obstacles to delivering the kind of care they would like.  

The survey, which is being released today (Sunday 27th April, 2008), as the RCN’s annual Congress in Bournemouth gets underway, asked nurses from across the UK working in a range of healthcare settings, their views on dignity in their workplace.

It found that 86 percent of nurses would like to make dignity a higher priority as part of their daily routine but nearly two-thirds (65 percent) said they sometimes or never have enough time to make sure patients receive they kind of care they would like.  81 percent of nurses say they sometimes or always leave their workplace feeling distressed or upset because they have not been able to give patients the kind of dignified care that they should.

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN, said: “Dignity should not be an after thought or an optional extra. Each and every patient – whether they are in a hospital, a GP’s surgery, in the community or in a care home - deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Dignity should be integral to nursing care.

"This survey shows that nurses desperately want to give patients the high quality personalised and dignified care they deserve but many simply do not have the time and resources to do so. As well as making sure there are enough staff on shift, nurses need to have access to specialist equipment, such as hoists, to make sure they can lift patients in a dignified manner."

"Something as simple as making sure curtains fit and close properly around a bed or that gowns cover patients, can also go a long way towards giving patients the privacy they need to make them feel more comfortable."

Nearly three-quarters of nurses surveyed (77 percent) agreed their organisation makes the dignity of patients and clients a priority, and nearly nine out of ten nurses (89 percent) said they would always challenge a colleague whom they felt had compromised a patient’s dignity.

But nurses taking part in the survey cited a range of barriers to providing the kind of dignified care they would like and that their patients deserve, including bed pressures, staff shortages, a target-led culture and non-essential paperwork.

One nurse wrote of staffing and time pressures: “Patients seem to be becoming numbers not people.  I am having to fight against what the system wants in order to provide dignified care to my patients. Since the agency ban, wards are running below the 'minimum' staffing levels set for them, so things staff will get pulled up on ends up taking priority over treating patients as individuals or offering emotional support.” 

Another nurse warned: “Staffing can be a real issue. I have worked shifts where I am the only qualified nurse looking after 16 people and when things are that against you there is a real pressure to do things quickly.”

As part of its drive to ensure dignity is at the forefront of patient care, the RCN is calling for nurses to be given the time, resources and organisational support to make sure every patient is treated with dignity.

  • NHS trusts, Primary Care Trusts and care homes to ensure they maintain sufficient staffing levels so nurses and healthcare staff have the time to deliver high quality dignified care
  • the abolition of mixed sex wards in hospitals and for new hospitals to build single sex wards
  • where there are single sex bays in mixed hospital wards that separate washing and toilet facilities are provided
  • toilets and wash facilities in all healthcare settings should be accessible with enough space for wheelchairs and hoists to be used
  • for curtains that fit and close properly to be installed around beds
  • for there to be enough space between beds to ensure patients have a degree of privacy
  • investment in hoists and specialist equipment to make lifting patients easier

The RCN is also urging nurses or patients with any concerns about the quality of care being delivered to report this to a senior member of staff immediately.

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Notes to Editors

For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/news/mediacentre.php

The RCN ran a membership survey between 11 February and 3 March 2008 to investigate the attitudes and experiences of members of dignity, using online software available through the RCN website. 2,047 members took part in the survey from across the UK.

The RCN will launch a campaign on dignity in June 2008, sponsored by Smith & Nephew.

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 UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.