RCN: Survey shows that nurses need admin support now more than ever

Published: 12 February 2009

Embargoed until : 00:01 Thursday 12th February

In response to a survey of nurses conducted by GS1 UK on behalf of Nursing Times, Janet Davies, Executive Director of Nursing and Service Delivery, Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:

"The first priority for any nurse is spending time with patients delivering high quality care. Of course there will always be other tasks that have to be done to ensure that a ward runs smoothly, but time could be saved by better use of technology, ward clerks and admin staff. This lack of admin support for nurses is a problem that goes beyond access to medical supplies. Last year, we found that NHS nurses were spending more than a million hours every week on paperwork that could be done by a ward clerk. Nurses should be free to nurse, so it is crucial that employers look into this research and make sure that their systems are as effective for patients as they can be.”

Ends

Notes for Editors

Paperwork Survey of 1752 nurses was carried out by ICM Research for the RCN between 12th – 16th March 2008. Interviews were conducted by telephone and the sample was representative of all RCN members. Nurses in bands 5 & 6 spend, on average, up to 19.5% of their time on an average shift on non-essential paperwork. Assuming an average shift is 7.5 hours, this equates to 3.9 hours per week for the 100,363 nurses working part-time (average 20 h.p.w) and 7.31 hours for the 170,888 nurses working full-time. Therefore, the total time spent on non-essential paperwork for nurses providing direct care to patients is up to 1,640,606 hours per week.

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/newsevents/media

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.