Nearly half of NHS staff (45%) in Scotland believe they are unable to do their job properly due to a lack of staff, the NHS Scotland annual NHS survey revealed.
As part of the survey, the NHS employees were asked to agree or disagree with the statement: ‘There are enough staff for me to do my job properly.’ The statement received “one of the least positive reactions of the entire survey”, according to the report.
There were more than 60,000 responses to that question, and just one-in-five nurses (26%) agreed that there was enough staff to do their job properly.
NHS Borders, Lothian and Forth Valley were the areas of Scotland where the least staff agreed with the statement.
Nurses gave the third most negative response to the statement, after ambulances (12%) and medical/dental professionals (25%).
The demands on nurses are also a problem, as just 39% of nurses and midwives agreed they can meet all the conflicting demands on their time at work, compared to 44% of all NHS staff.
However, nurses are still pushing through, as 89% of those surveyed said they are “happy to ‘go the extra mile’ at work when required”.
Norman Provan, associate director of RCN Scotland, reflected: “This staff survey once again highlights the enormous pressure on all members of the multidisciplinary teams who deliver care to patients every day in hospitals and out in our communities.
“Their professionalism, skills and dedication are what keep our NHS going, but we know that we are at a crossroads and that things must change if we are to provide care and support fit for the future,” he added.
See the full report here.
