Exhausted staff, patients put at risk and an uncaring management are the legacy of the ongoing porters’ strike at Dundee hospitals, according to an NHS Tayside insider.
Speaking under condition of anonymity, the insider claims the 12 weeks of industrial action by porters are supported by staff at the hospitals, but that they cannot take strike action themselves for fear of compromising the health of the people of Tayside.
The NHS Tayside staff member said: “Particularly on weekends when there are fewer volunteers from the administrative side of things, they’re using staff from the wards for portering duties, and that’s leaving the wards critically short.
“The staff are absolutely run into the ground, when there is a lack of staff anyway.
“If you have these wards as short as they are and you further draw staff away to complete portering duties, you’re facing a really unsafe ratio of nurses to patients.
“We have ridiculous staffing levels in a lot of areas of NHS Tayside as it is. If you draw more staff away for any reason, especially high risk patients are at risk of being left behind.
“Added into that is that we’re unhappy to be breaking the strike. There is general support for the porters, and the nurses have been facing their own pay dispute which has taken years and it feels like the porters are striking on behalf of all of us.”
The source added: “It is absolute rubbish when the management say everything is under control. We’re at the end of our tether.
“It’s only a matter of time before there is serious trouble. They seem to be in no hurry to resolve the strike but the staff are wearing down and patient care is suffering.”
A spokesman for NHS Tayside said: “All staff helpers are working extremely hard to cover portering tasks during this industrial action.
“Recognising the commitment of our staff helpers, where someone works outside their normal working hours, line managers are asked to adjust that individual’s normal working hours to ensure they receive appropriate rest.
“All clinical areas are staffed appropriately according to national workforce tools.”
And responding to claims that staff are too scared to speak out against management, the spokesman added: “There is a clear whistleblowing policy for all staff which was developed in partnership with our staff side colleagues.
“Staff have many routes available to them in raising a concern including through heads of nursing, HR colleagues and staff side representatives.”
The Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee is involved in resolving the porters’ strike, with talks to begin today and a verdict expected on Friday.