Nurses have revealed the scale of staff shortages, with 8 in 10 saying there were not enough to provide adequate care on their last shift.
One A&E senior nurse told a Royal College of Nursing survey of almost 20,00 nurses: “I wouldn’t want my family cared for here.”
The shock findings come 11 days before the nurses’ first walkout.
Another community nurse told how patients were becoming critically unwell as overstretched nurses were missing signs of deteriorating health.
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Last night RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: “Stories like these are all too familiar to our members grappling with record nurse vacancies, being underpaid and [facing] year-round pressures.
“Ministers have failed to heed our warnings, spending billions on agency staff to plug workforce gaps when what’s needed is serious investment in nursing, including fair pay.
“Politicians have the power to stop strike action, but must act fast or 100,000 nurses will walk out.”
NHS data out this week shows nursing vacancies jumped 19% in a year to a record of almost 48,000 on September 30. The RCN found only a quarter of shifts had the planned number of registered nurses.
Only 18% of nurses said they had time to provide the care they’d like to. And 62% said patient care was compromised on their last shift.
A nursing sister in a Welsh A&E said: “Missed meds for patients in ambulances, deterioration of a patient that went unnoticed, insufficient skin care and toileting. I wouldn’t want my family here.”
Strikes at dozens of hospitals are planned on December 15 and 20.
The union wants a pay rise of 5% above inflation. But Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Union demands are not affordable.
“We’ve accepted recommendations to give over one million NHS workers a rise of at least £1,400. The NHS has plans to minimise disruption.”
