RCN Wales believes the decision made by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to implement changes to nursing staff rotas will have a devastating impact on the morale of nurses and do little to address the very real problems faced by the Health Board of staff shortages and service pressures.
Nurse morale is already at an all-time low with the recruitment and retention of staff being extremely difficult. The Health Board reports 307 whole time equivalent nursing vacancies across the Acute Hospitals alone; this decision will only add yet more pressure to current staff and deter nurses from choosing the health board as a place to work.
Currently, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board employs 1058 nurses over the age of 55, this decision will do nothing to retain them. Furthermore the health board has a targeted retention plan which aims to raise engagement scores, yet RCN Wales members report less engagement with this process and with the health board.
The Health Board offers flexibility in working patterns in their ‘Train, Work, Live’ recruitment materials yet they are proposing to introduce an inflexible rota system across all services. This will do little to attract nurses to North Wales. Nor will it encourage nurses to return following retirement.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board already has an overspend of £42,000,000 this year and is in special measures, it is extremely difficult to visualise how this decision will improve their situation.
Helen Whyley, Director RCN Wales said, “we are extremely disappointed with the Health Board’s decision, they have ignored nurses’ concerns regarding this proposal and are displaying a complete lack of consideration for our members in BCUHB.
The money that the Health Board says it will save by implementing this change in staffing, increases the pressure on nurses and will be negated by the amount of money they will have to spend on agency staff which currently stands at £4.1 million in the year to July 2019. Nurses are already working extra, unpaid hours in an attempt to give the highest possible care to their patients, they should be respected and valued, not ignored and penalised.
Where our members in the Health Board already work the 12.5 hour shift pattern they struggle to get breaks at all, let alone an hour as in the proposals and we believe that unless they recruit and retain more nurses the Health Board will continue to be unable to comply with Working Time Regulations breaks.
The Health Board believe that the new rota system will enhance its ability to meet the requirements of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) 2016 something that we and our member do not believe to be the case.
We will be talking to our members further on how they wish to progress with their concerns about these changes”.
