Responding to the latest NHS England Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Report, Royal College of Nursing Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said:
“Nursing staff are being stretched to their limit, and the public deserves better care. Bed occupancy is at its highest level this year, and is now higher than this time last year. This will inevitably lead to unsafe and undignified patient care. In some trusts, one nurse could be left caring for 10, 15, or more patients at a time, and patients are being treated in the back of ambulances, in corridors, and on chairs and trolleys.
“There are huge gaps in the workforce - nursing vacancies in the NHS in England have averaged above 40,000 since June 2018. If the government is serious about solving the NHS crisis as we go into a general election year, then it must stop procrastinating, and take urgent action to invest in the health and social care workforce and nursing pay.”
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