A recent survey has revealed that NHS patients in the UK are facing severe neglect, with some even dying alone due to critical shortages of registered nurses during shifts.
According to a report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), only one-third of hospital shifts have sufficient nursing staff, leading to dire consequences for patient care. This shortage has been exacerbated by the 2023 government restrictions aimed at reducing migration, which included a ban on family members accompanying most international students.
The RCN’s survey, which gathered responses from over 11,000 nursing staff across the UK, paints a bleak picture. The findings show that nursing shortages often force staff to manage dozens of patients simultaneously, compromising the quality of care. Nicola Ranger, the acting general secretary and chief executive of the RCN, expressed deep concerns: “In every health and care setting, nursing staff are fighting a losing battle to keep patients safe. Without safety-critical limits on the maximum number of patients they can care for, nurses are being made responsible for dozens at a time, often with complex needs. It is dangerous to patients and demoralizing for nursing staff.”
The survey revealed that 81% of respondents reported insufficient staffing levels to ensure patient safety. In emergency settings, some nurses are responsible for more than 51 patients at a time. One community nurse in south-west England shared, “We have days when we have 60 visits unallocated because we don’t have enough staff. We are always rushing.” Another nurse in the south of England said, “We leave over 50 patients requiring care unseen daily due to poor staffing levels. This leads to increases in hospital admissions and death. It is left to us to decide who gets seen and who gets missed, which is heart-breaking.”
The RCN’s findings come in the wake of a Channel 4 Dispatches programme that revealed nearly 19,000 NHS patients endured waits of three days or more in A&E over a 12-month period. Ranger emphasized the urgent need for investment in the nursing workforce and the implementation of safety-critical nurse-patient ratios in law to improve care and prevent patient harm.
Impact on Nigerian Nurses
In a related development, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria announced in March that Nigerian nurses and midwives must have at least two years of post-qualification work experience before their certificates can be verified by foreign nursing boards. Last year, approximately 15,000 Nigerian nurses left for jobs abroad, prompting hundreds of nurses to protest at the health regulator’s offices in Abuja and Lagos, demanding the policy’s withdrawal. Additionally, the federal government has banned leave of absence for health professionals intending to relocate abroad.
