A top nursing official has cautioned that nurses are facing growing risks of harm from high levels of hostility and aggression exhibited by patients.
The director of nursing for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Prof Nicola Ranger, stated that the NHS crisis has led to negative behavior from patients who are frustrated by the increasing wait times for treatment during the Covid pandemic.
According to Ranger, the current circumstances are causing a significant number of nurses to leave the NHS due to a continuous cycle of low staffing and increasing violence.
She stated that this resulted in a shortage of nurses on duty, putting her colleagues’ safety at risk.
Ranger urged the government to prioritize addressing the mistreatment of nurses, noting a prevalent feeling of hopelessness among healthcare workers due to worsening working conditions.
According to Ranger, the general public would be greatly surprised if they were aware of the frequency of violence and aggression directed towards nursing staff in the workplace. Nurses are frequently put at risk and it has unfortunately become a regular occurrence for them to be threatened by patients while on duty.
There is a significant shortage of nurses in the UK that is not being recognized by the government. Some nurses may face physical abuse, such as being spit on or hit, which can be the tipping point for them.
A major issue currently is the insufficient number of nursing staff working, putting colleagues at risk. The government must prioritize this matter, or else we may see more professionals leaving the field.
She made remarks that align with the results of a Guardian inquiry into sexual misconduct within the National Health Service. The investigation revealed that the majority of reported cases in hospitals in England involved patients as perpetrators and staff as victims.
According to data from the RCN, there has been a 21% increase in reports of member abuse in the past year. Additionally, 52% of the reported abuse to the college’s helpline involved abuse from patients. The majority of incidents reported (63%) were physical abuse, while 14% were sexual abuse.
According to Ranger, there has been a change in how the public perceives NHS employees since the pandemic. She has noticed an increasing number of patients, whom she refers to as “reasonable,” expressing their frustrations with the inadequate state of the health service towards nurses.
“I have witnessed this myself – security is a concern in larger hospitals,” stated Ranger. Before her current position, she served as the chief nurse at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, where she hired a violence reduction matron to address the issue.
During the Covid pandemic, the NHS received applause for their efforts. However, as time went on and issues such as long wait times, delayed procedures, and unfilled staff positions arose, the reality of the strain on the system began to emerge. This led to a sense that individuals had to actively advocate for their place in hospitals. The heightened tension and potential for conflict was a result of the difficulties faced by the NHS post-pandemic.
I believe that there is a decrease in trust towards the NHS among the general public. People are coming in with increased worry, which can quickly turn into loss of confidence. Waiting for 13-14 hours for an A&E bed and seeing your elderly mother still on a trolley would understandably cause frustration. This situation is completely unacceptable.
The Ranger acknowledged the frustrations of patients but pleaded with them to refrain from directing them towards frontline staff.
She suggested that expressing frustration towards one’s MP or government is a more productive approach for rational individuals.
“We need to begin cultivating a sense of hope, as right now, it only seems to be growing more and more discouraging.”
Ranger stated that the government seemed to not be acknowledging the severity of the challenges facing the profession. They also expressed disappointment in the insufficient pay raise for nurses, which they described as a complete disregard for their worth.
In the previous month, officials celebrated the news that the NHS in England had hired over 50,000 extra nurses since 2019, fulfilling a promise made in their campaign. Despite this achievement, government data revealed that there are still over 42,000 open positions for registered nurses.
Caroline Nokes, who leads the women and equalities select committee, oversaw a hearing where Ranger and other prominent female health leaders shared their experiences with sexual violence in healthcare. Nokes expressed shock at the extent of violence towards nurses, including biting, broken limbs, and verbal aggression. She emphasized that NHS workers are meant to assist people, not endure abuse, and the issue is exacerbated by experienced staff leaving due to mistreatment from patients.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been asked to provide a statement.
Source: theguardian.com
