Nurses across the UK are working sick in understaffed hospitals, with stress a leading cause of illness, according to research.
Survey conducted Royal College of Nursing (RCN) of more than 20,000 nurses found that 66% were working when they should have been on sick leave, up from 49% in 2017.
Just under two-thirds (65%) of respondents cited stress as a leading cause of illness, up from 50% in 2017. Seven in 10 said they worked beyond their contracted hours at least once a week, with around half (52%) doing so without pay.
National Health Service has over 25,000 nursing vacancies across England.
Professor Nicola Ranger, chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, said nursing staff were suffering from poor health due to “working in services that are understaffed and under-resourced”.
“Nursing staff try to do the best they can for every patient on every shift, but they are faced with the impossible task of caring for dozens and sometimes hundreds at once… the reality is they don't break; many are already broken,” Ranger said.
“These results provide further compelling evidence that there are simply too few nurses to meet growing demand. New and urgent investment is desperately needed to increase the nursing workforce, ensure staff can work in a safe environment and patients receive the best care.”
The RCN said it receives an average of six calls a day from members about staffing levels at their workplaces, with many citing burnout, panic attacks and nightmares due to working conditions. The union said it expects to receive 2,175 calls about personnel issues by the end of this year, up from 1,837 in 2023.
During the survey, staff also spoke about their experiences of the unsustainable pressures they face due to poor health and staffing shortages.
One NHS nurse in England told the RCN that they had developed a chronic stress-related illness but were unable to leave work “due to the overload and overload of the ward”. […] not wanting to add to it.”
Another nurse at an independent nursing home said they were “afraid to go to work knowing we would be short-staffed” and would “inevitably have to work overtime, unpaid, just to get everything done.”
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An NHS spokesman said: “Nurses are at the heart of the health service, working hard every day to care for our patients, and we know there is still more to be done to tackle burnout and support their wellbeing.
“The NHS has identified practical steps organizations can take to support nurses, and countless people are already benefiting from a growing network of thousands of professional nurse advocates who support the wellbeing of their colleagues. This year's graduate guarantee has already helped thousands of new qualified nurses and midwives find work and further reduce vacancies and pressure on frontline nurses.”
Department Health and a social care spokesman said: “We greatly value the work of talented nurses and, as part of our 10-year health plan, are taking action to improve conditions for the overworked and demoralized workforce we inherit.
“We are also providing better employment opportunities for qualified nurses and midwives with a new graduate guarantee to ease access to thousands of new roles, helping to further reduce the pressure on existing staff.”
