The Royal College of Nursing says staff shortages are having a severe impact on patient care in Scotland's emergency departments, with the trade union accusing ministers of continued failure to address the nursing workforce crisis.

Doctors have meanwhile described their pay award from the government as “hugely disappointing”.

Last month, findings from a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) survey of nursing staff suggested 9 out of 10 had been working within an understaffed team, without sufficient people to meet the needs of patients, on their most recent shift.

In further data now released from the survey, over a quarter of respondents (26%) said they were treating patients in an inappropriate setting – including looking after people in extra beds squeezed into wards – compromising their care and potentially making it unsafe.

This number increased to 62% for those respondents working in emergency departments.

The Scottish government has responded that Scotland’s emergency departments are performing better than those in the rest of the UK. It also say the nursing and mdiwifery workforce continues to grow.

The RCN release of new data from the survey is the latest call by the RCN, which has over 40,000 members in Scotland, for the Scottish government to improve pay and working conditions for the nursing workforce.

RCN Scotland is currently consulting its members on industrial action, recommending they reject the current 5% pay offer being made to 160,000 people on the Agenda for Change salary bands.

RCN Scotland interim director Colin Poolman says it is time for the government to take urgent steps to address staffing and hospital capacity:

“It’s scandalous that nursing staff have to treat patients in the corridors, waiting rooms and even in the back of ambulances outside of hospital entrances. This must not become a ‘new normal’ – it is putting patients at risk.

“Today’s emergency department statistics show that severe staffing shortages continue to have a serious impact on patient care.

He added that this is largely a due to the “failure of the Scottish government to address the nursing workforce crisis”, with registered nurse vacancies reaching a record high.

In the recently released survey data, 45% of respondents said that necessary care had been left undone because of the workforce crisis leaving nursing staff with a lack of time.

“Urgent action is needed to protect patient safety, address staff shortages and demonstrate that the nursing workforce is valued as a safety critical profession,” says Mr Poolman.

“It is a very simple choice. Ministers must invest properly in nursing – plan staffing based on the population’s need and demonstrate that staff are valued by awarding a fair pay rise.”

Yesterday, ministers accepted the recommendations of an independent review body that medical and dental staff should see their pay increase by 4.5%.

Doctors had asked for an increase of 2% above inflation.

In a swift response, Dr Lewis Morrison, chair of the doctors’ trade union BMA Scotland, said:

“This pay award does nothing to undo years of real-term pay erosion for doctors.

“In the face of spiralling inflation this is still a large real-terms pay cut, which will be hugely damaging to the morale of an already exhausted and depleted workforce, after two and a half years leading our country’s response to the pandemic and the years of vacancies and escalating demand that preceded that.”

Announcing the government’s offer to medics and dentists, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said the award sought to recognise the 'tireless' work of staff during the pandemic and recovery:

“The NHS has faced its biggest challenge during the pandemic and staff have been working tirelessly to continue to provide care while under increased pressure.

“The continued hard work and dedication of staff ensures that the people of Scotland continue to receive world class healthcare as we remobilise NHS services and tackle waiting times.

“This uplift demonstrates that we value all our medical and dental staff and the important contribution they make. It’s crucial that we continue to not only recruit and build our future NHS workforce, but also retain expertise within NHS Scotland.

“This announcement means that our senior medical staff will continue to be the best paid in the UK.  This will help ensure that NHS Scotland remains an attractive employment option for all medical and dental staff.”

However, Dr Morrison said the government, beyond paying more, must address all the issues that are making doctors’ workloads "unsustainable" and leading some to move to other countries with better “staffing, pay, workload and work-life balance”:

“The Scottish government has to reflect on how it really values and treats our medical workforce, if it genuinely wants to ensure NHS recovery and a future of healthcare in Scotland that will meet the needs of its people.

“In response to this hugely disappointing award we will be urgently consulting our members to gauge their views, and what steps we may take as a result.”

A Scottish government spokesperson said:

“Over the last two years the pandemic has presented our NHS with the greatest challenge of its 74 year existence. Despite this, Scotland continues to have the best performing A&Es in the UK, outperforming those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for over six years.

“The number of covid inpatients in hospital has been increasing, which is resulting in reduced capacity in our hospitals, leading to staff absences, and also having a detrimental impact on delays in A&E.

“NHS Scotland staffing is at a record high level.

"We continue to invest significantly in our workforce and we value them, which is why NHS Agenda for Change staff are the best paid in the UK.

"Over the course of the pandemic there has been a 4.4% increase in the qualified nursing and midwifery workforce (over 1,945 WTE), and this year will see the tenth successive increase in funded nursing and midwifery training places, with funded places having doubled over the last decade.

“Our National Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy sets out how we will continue to invest in planning, training, attracting, employing and nurturing our workforce, building on our strong track record, to deliver future workforce sustainability.”

 

Read more: RCN: Patients and staff suffering due to shortages; Safe staffing timetable announced; GPs "can’t sustain this indefinitely"

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