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Nursing staff shortages 'compromising care'

A lack of qualified nurses in the UK could be putting patient care at risk, it has been claimed.

A poll carried out by the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) showed four out of ten nurses believe poor staffing levels are compromising patient care at least twice a week.

Leila Harris-Ryberg, communications officer at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, responded that any issue which places a midwife or nurse in a vulnerable position and where patient safety is affected should be of concern.

She commented: "We are currently undergoing a review of our pre-registration nursing education standards and will be going out to public consultation in January."

According to the employment survey by RCN, over half of nurses (55 per cent) say they are too busy to provide the level of care they would like.

Furthermore, almost two-thirds of NHS nurses (61 per cent) consider their workload is too heavy and that they are under too much pressure.