Nurses take ‘worrying’ number of sick days
Hospital nursing staff take more sick days off than any other public servants.
A report by the Healthcare Commission reveals that hospital ward staff take an average of 16.8 days a year off due to illness.
The average across the public sector workforce is 11.3 days.
Healthcare Commission chief executive Anna Walker said stress, job satisfaction, workload and the physical nature of nursing might be causes of the “extremely worrying” absence rates.
“Nurses are the backbone of the NHS and we need to do more to understand what is happening. We will be pursuing these issues with the Royal College of Nursing and through our assessment processes,” she said.
Dr Beverly Malone, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said the high absence levels were no surprise given the heavy workload faced by nurses.
“The RCN is encouraged that the Healthcare Commission recognises that nurses are the backbone of the NHS and that decision-makers can no longer ignore the pressure they are under,” she said.
The commission’s report also finds that patients are satisfied with nursing care – although this is higher in specialist trusts and lower in London trusts.
It also reveals a link between patient satisfaction and the use of temporary staff.
The more money trusts spend on temporary staff, the less satisfied patients tend to be – particularly on the ability of nurses to answer their questions.
“The use of temporary staff across NHS hospital wards remains stubbornly high. Trusts need to focus on recruitment of permanent staff to reduce dependence on temporary staff,” Ms Walker added.
The report also uncovers links between trusts employing higher proportions of more skilled and experienced staff, rather than just employing more staff.
