Almost two years into the pandemic, and exhausted and overwhelmed nurses are working long hours, often without pay, in order to keep the NHS afloat, a new study has revealed.

A poll conducted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found that many nurses are considering leaving the profession as they are concerned about the quality of care they are able to provide due to insufficient staffing.

The RCN’s 2021 employment survey drew the responses from over 9,000 nursing staff in the UK to show how members of the world’s largest nursing union are feeling almost two years into the pandemic.

Working when unwell

Around three-quarters of the nurses surveyed said they have worked when feeling unwell on at least one occasion during the last 12 months. 77% said they work beyond their contracted hours at least once a week, and more than half (53%) of nurses reported the additional hours were unpaid.

15% of respondents said that they have been asked to delay their holiday time and 18% said they had not asked for their full annual leave entitlement.

Undervalued and exhausted

Feeling undervalued, exhausted, or being unable to give the patients the level of care they would like to, more than half of the respondents (57%) said they are thinking about quitting their job.

Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the RCN, commented on the current climate felt within the nursing profession:

“As the pandemic moves into a third calendar year and now we face another Covid wave, our members talk vividly about the toll of the pandemic and years of understaffing.

“Nursing undoubtedly has the potential to be a hugely rich and satisfying career, but with tens of thousands of nursing jobs unfilled the situation is unsustainable. All nursing staff need funded and supported time out – not limited to annual leave – regardless of which setting they work in.  

“Likewise, where staff have taken time off due to illness, rest and recuperation must be central to decision-making about their return to work. Proper mental and psychological support services need to be made available.”

The findings of the report will be used in the NHS Pay Review Body, which has been asked by the government to recommend what pay award staff should receive for 2022 – 23.

The report follows a survey by UNISON which shows more than two-thirds of health staff have experienced burnout and three in five feel overwhelmed by long shifts. The research published by UNISON on December 23, found that more than two thirds (69%) of health staff say they’ve experienced burnout during the pandemic, and three in five (62%) feel overwhelmed after long, intense shifts.

Nurses quitting in substantial numbers

The 2021 NSI Nursing Solutions Report paints an equally concerning picture about the issues nurses are facing across the UK. The report shows that nurses are quitting their jobs in substantial numbers, with 62% of hospitals reporting a nurse vacancy rate higher than 7.5%.

Mandatory overtime

One of the leading challenges that is contributing to the widespread stress and burnout felt within the profession is mandatory overtime. With a nationwide shortage of nurses, it is common practice for clinics and hospitals to request nursing staff to work overtime.

The latest report from the RCN reveals many nurses are not being properly paid for all the hours they are working. This is despite an agreement that was reached between health unions and NHS employers on May 29, 2020.

The agreement was made in during the early days of the pandemic when nurses began working flat out to keep the NHS running while under immense pressure but were often not paid for all the hours they put in. 15 unions representing staff working in English NHS trusts – including UNISON, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives – mutually agreed an overtime template with employers. According to UNISON, the overtime template would be used locally to ensure health workers across England get all the pay they are due.

Ensuring proper payment for every hour worked was also listed on the blueprint published by health unions in May 2020.

As the number of people in hospital with Covid in England hit its highest levels over Christmas since March, exhausted and overwhelmed nurses are consistently working 12-hour shifts in the effort to keep NHS services running, often unpaid, despite efforts by unions and trusts to ensure NHS staff are paid for all the work they do.

UNISON deputy head of health Helga Pile told LFF: “Employers must ensure long hours are properly monitored and staff should be paid for any additional hours.

“Continuing to expect NHS staff to work like this is making them ill and driving them to leave, creating bigger problems for the future.” 

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward.

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