Responding to the latest NHS England Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Report, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said:
“The pressure on the NHS has been unrelenting for months now – with bed occupancy still at 95% while on average well over 13,000 patients are stuck in hospital every day despite being medically fit to be discharged.
“It is no surprise the NHS is under intense pressure with over 47,000 nursing vacancies in England alone. You cannot run an effective health service without enough nursing staff to do so. All the evidence shows that a lack of investment and workforce planning is a root cause of delays, inefficiency, and poor care.
“Ministers in Westminster need to negotiate a fair pay rise to stop the exodus of nurses from the profession. The Welsh and Scottish governments have come to the table and are negotiating – where is the Westminster government?”
Ends
Notes to Editors
The latest NHS England Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Report published today for the week 06/02/2023-12/02/2023 shows:
- Adult General & Acute bed occupancy rate is at 95%. This is well above the 85% recognised by the National Audit Office and the Royal College for Emergency Medicine for hospitals to work safely and effectively.
