The Health and Social Care Committee made up of MPs and chaired by Jeremy Hunt (former Health Secretary) has reported that NHS and social care staff are so burnt-out that it has become an emergency and risks the future of the health service.
Staff are reportedly exhausted and overstretched as a result of staff shortages and, that the problems existed before the pandemic. The coronavirus has only added to and worsened the pressures on staff.
An inquiry into the issues was launched by the Committee last July and the resulting report published this week.
Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care report
The report highlights one of the main problems was that there was no accurate forecast of how many staff the NHS needed for the next five to 10 years, and recommended a total overhaul of the way the NHS does workforce planning. It said that NHS staff need to know there was a solution coming to fix the shortages of staff.
Before the pandemic hit, the NHS was facing shortages of staff of around one in 10 or one in 12, and there were reportedly 50,000 nursing posts unfilled in the UK.
An NHS staff survey in 2020 showed 44% of staff reported feeling unwell as a result of work-related stress in the previous year.
Former Health Secretary, Mr Hunt, told the Today programme that the shortage of NHS staff was the “single biggest problem” as far as staff well-being was concerned. He commented that there aren’t enough doctors or nurses in almost every medical speciality, but that finding a solution was not enough of a priority for the Government.
Dr David Wrigley from the British Medical Association commented:
“Health and care staff suffered stress and work-related anxiety before the pandemic but it is now far more serious and we believe the current level of staff burnout and stress presents a worrying risk to the future functioning of the health and care system and safe patient care. There’s an urgent need to address the severe workforce crisis facing health and care services…”
Comment
It is clear that there were problems with staff shortages long before the pandemic hit. Whilst NHS staff have been battling at the front line of the pandemic, this has only added to the problem and resulted in even greater pressure piled onto the shoulders of those we need most.
As we look forward to thinking about recovery from the pandemic, there is no sign that the pressures are going to ease any time soon.
The highlighted issues within the report by the Health and Social Care Committee are worrying and warrant prompt attention and call to action by the Government. Staff are at risk, meaning patient safety is at risk. It is a vicious cycle and one that must be pushed up the Government’s list of priorities soon.
How can Nelsons help?
Danielle Young is a Senior Associate in our highly regarded Medical Negligence team.
If you would like any advice in relation to the subjects discussed in this article, please contact Danielle or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.