The NHS and social care system remains under unprecedented pressure.
Our members in the nursing family and other healthcare staff across the UK report that their workloads are already extremely challenging with the onset of winter.
At UNISON we wish to strongly reiterate that the management of NHS Trusts and organisations should do and spend whatever is necessary to support their workforce and maintain safe staffing levels to protect patients and the public during the winter.
The situation:
This recent summer was the busiest on record for our accident and emergency departments.
In England, there was a near 200% increase from the previous year in the number of patients waiting longer than 12 hours in emergency departments.
Nurses, midwives and all healthcare staff across the four nations are under severe pressure. UNISON’s most recent healthcare staffing survey from across the NHS showed that 47% of staff were unable to take their allocated breaks. Half of the NHS staff we surveyed believed their staffing levels were not sufficient to deliver safe, dignified and compassionate care.
On the back of the busiest ever summer, with nurse vacancies reaching a record high of 43,000 across the NHS in England alone, UNISON are very concerned that NHS staff will be unable to maintain patient safety through the winter.
To branches and activists:
- Challenge the management of your organisation to make clear their plans to support staff and maintain patient safety through the winter. Safe and appropriate staffing levels must be maintained.
- Circulate UNISON’s recently updated ‘Be safe’ guidance for health staff on how to raise concerns and record occasions when staffing levels are unsafe
- Escalate concerns over organisational pressures and occupancy levels reported by members if they are a threat to patient safety.
- Raise awareness of local whistle-blowing procedures to staff and inform them they can report concerns anonymously to their hospital’s regulator if they believe their organisation is risking patient safety
Speaking on the issues of winter pressures, UNISON National Officer for Nursing Stuart Tuckwood said:
“Nurses and all NHS staff have worked incredibly hard in recent times to care for their patients and keep them safe but pressure continues to build and all indicators suggest this could be the toughest ever winter for the health service.
As the biggest union in the NHS we’re asking all of our branches and stewards to challenge their organisations to ensure staff get the support they need to keep their patients safe this winter.”
Trudie Martin, chair of UNISON’s national nursing and midwifery committee, said:
“It is very important that you feel safe to care for our patients and remember that you are accountable. If you are concerned about the pressure being placed on you then you need to protect yourself, the staff working with you and the vulnerable patients you are caring for by reporting your concerns and highlighting the risks.
Don’t be afraid to challenge a situation that you feel is unsafe as it is potentially your registration and the safety of others that is at risk.”
View and download the ‘Be Safe’ guidance