More than half of Scotland’s “stretched beyond capacity” nurses are working more than their contract hours every week to meet patients’ needs, a new survey has revealed.
Of those who responded to the Royal College of Nursing survey, 54% report working beyond their shifts, 58% said they are under too much pressure and 55% reported they are unable to provide the level of care they would like for themselves as a direct result.
The report quizzed 1,681 nurses in Scotland and the union said it “painted a picture of professionals running faster and faster to deliver health services that are struggling to meet demand, as they simply do not have the resources and support required.”
RCN Scotland’s associate director for employment relations, Norman Provan, said he hoped the survey “serves as a wake-up call to all healthcare employers in Scotland as well as to the Scottish Government”.
He said: “When you hear stories of people not being paid for extra hours because they were not agreed in advance, or people are not able to take time back in lieu because to do so would mean leaving colleagues even more short-staffed, it is apparent health services are only managing to meet demand because of nurses willing to go the extra mile, for free.”
He added: “There is no doubt amongst our members many areas are seriously understaffed, which means more nurses need to be recruited urgently or new ways found to deliver services.”
Other findings revealed 83% of nurses say they would not feel capable of working until the new retirement age of 68 and 49% have worked on two or more occasions when they have been too ill to do so in the past year.
Despite these pressures, nurses are still generally positive about their job, with 65% thinking nursing is a rewarding career and 65% being enthusiastic about the job most days.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We’re ensuring nurses get a pay rise this year. While clinical staff, including nurses, may be asked to work additional hours, nobody in the NHS should be working for nothing.
“The Cabinet Secretary has asked all boards for their assurance all staff are receiving the full reimbursement that they are due.
“Under this Government there are already over 1,000 additional qualified nurses and thanks to the nurse planning tools, boards are projecting a further increase in their nursing staff by more than 500 by April next year.”