More than 9,000 nurses and other nursing staff have responded to a survey carried out by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) trade union.
In it, many appear to say that they are considering quitting their jobs, and that they are dissatisfied with the service they receive due to a lack of staff.
– Nursing is not an act of heroism, a selfless act or a calling, wrote RCN CEO Pat Cullen in the report’s foreword. It also states that nursing is “indispensable to society” and that nurses are well aware of their responsibilities.
– The results in this report show that many of our members are now feeling intolerable stress, Cullen said.
Free overtime work
In the survey, conducted in October – before the more contagious omicron variant reached the UK – 74 per cent said they regularly worked overtime, usually unpaid. 17 percent said they do this every shift.
Many of them said they were working their usual 12-hour shifts, and a third said they were unable to take time off, even though they felt this was having an impact on their health and wellbeing.
Only 63 percent, less than two-thirds, said they had the opportunity to take all their vacations in the past year. 68 percent said they felt the pressure at work was too great, while 62 percent said they were too busy working to provide the care their patients wanted.
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More than three-quarters, or 77 percent, said they worked overtime when they should have been on sick leave at least once in the last year.
Of those who worked while sick, 67 said they had stress-related complaints, while 38 said they had experienced difficulties with their mental health.
More than half will quit
In total, 57 percent said they were considering or planning to quit their jobs. This figure includes employees who are planning to retire.
The desire to resign was greatest among nursing staff at public hospitals run by the NHS, where 60 per cent said they were considering or planning to quit. The most common reasons are feelings of being unappreciated and too much pressure.
About six in ten people think they are paid too little for the work they do.
– As the pandemic now enters its third year and we are at the same time facing a new wave of infections, our members are speaking clearly about the pressures this pandemic and staff shortages have created over several years, Cullen said.
– Nursing undoubtedly has the potential to be a content-rich and fulfilling career, but with tens of thousands of nursing positions unfilled, the situation is unsustainable, he further said.
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