Shortage of 20,000 nurses in NHS, report warns Patients are being left to suffer because of a shortage of 20,000 nurses, with one in 20 positions now unfilled, a Royal College of Nursing report has claimed. Nurse leaders said that safety was being jeopardised because of widespread shortages after NHS trusts froze vacant posts in a bid to save money. Earlier this year an investigation into 14 hospital trusts with unusually high death rates highlighted inadequate staffing as a common factor. In some cases, patients were left unattended for so long that inspectors stepped in to comfort them. Freedom of Information requests conducted by the RCN found that average vacancy rates are around six per cent. Extrapolating the figures from 61 NHS trusts, the College said this would amount to nearly 20,000 full-time equivalent nursing, midwifery or health visitor vacancies. telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10441408/Shortage-of-20000-nurses-in-NHS-report-warns.html
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 10:21:10 +0000