Exclusive:Survey reveals 'shocking' concerns over health and care staffing
Unison said efforts to address the issue had ‘fallen far short’
Members of the largest trade union in the NHS have raised “shocking” concerns over unsafe staffing levels despite legislation aimed at tackling the issue.
Unison said 46 per cent of survey respondents felt patient safety had regularly been put at risk by inadequate staffing over the last 12 months, while 32 per cent said this had happened frequently.
More than half (51 per cent) said they did not feel confident raising concerns with management about staffing levels where they work.
It comes more than two years after the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act came into force in Scotland, which provides a statutory basis for the provision of appropriate staffing in health and care services.
READ MORE: Next Scottish government 'will be held to the fire' if NHS does not improve, warns Unison
Matt McLaughlin, head of health at Unison in Scotland, dismissed this legislation as “smoke and mirrors”.
He added: “It’s a great headline. The commitment to introduce safe staffing into legislation - who could argue against that? But the practical delivery of that and the monitoring of that has fallen far short of demand.”
Mr McLaughlin said staff feel disillusioned, let down and frustrated. “Year after year after year they are being asked to deliver more complex care with less and less people,” he said.
“What they need is answers and solutions rather than gimmicks and headlines, and I think we’re still stuck in gimmicks and headlines.”
He described the survey’s findings as “shocking”, and said managers are equally as frustrated.
Unison’s safe staffing survey was carried out in December and received around 2,000 responses. A significant majority (81 per cent) said they did not feel confident reporting processes were effective.
Fewer than 15 per cent felt their employer was doing enough to tackle safe staffing issues.
Members were asked how often they felt short staffing had put patients at risk over the previous 12 months. A total of 32 per cent of respondents said this had happened frequently, while 46 per cent said it had happened regularly.
Just 14 per cent said this was only the case on rare occasions, while 8 per cent said it was never the case.
Only around one in 10 respondents (11 per cent) felt the introduction of safe staffing legislation in Scotland had had an impact on concerns being raised and addressed.
A separate Unison survey of NHS staff in February, which received around 3,000 responses, found 70 per cent felt more stressed because of staffing issues.
A total of 31 per cent reported taking time off for mental health reasons over the previous 12 months, and 22 per cent said they had experienced violence at work.
Ambulance staff reported severe service pressures, including queues outside A&E and delays harming patients.
In total, 54 per cent of respondents rated morale among colleagues as low or very low.
“The findings show a system under intense strain, where unsafe staffing levels, deteriorating workplace conditions, high stress, and rising violence are impacting both staff wellbeing and patient care,” Unison said.
“Support for staff is inconsistent and often absent. Workforce morale is low, and many indicators suggest pressure is increasing rather than stabilising.”
Polls consistently show health is one of the top priorities for voters ahead of the Holyrood election on May 7.
Emma Harper, SNP candidate for Galloway and West Dumfries, said: “Under the SNP, the number of nurses and midwives working in our NHS is up by over 21 per cent and band 5 nurses in Scotland are the best paid anywhere in the UK.
“Meanwhile, Scotland has more GPs per head of population than anywhere else in the UK with numbers set to increase further after we made a landmark £531 million investment in core general practice.
“Of course, there is still much work to be done, but the SNP’s bold plan for the NHS is working – waiting times are down, operation numbers up, and we are opening GP walk in centres all over the country.”
Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “These findings are deeply worrying and highlight the cost of the SNP’s mismanagement of our health service.
“Hardworking staff are being pushed to breaking point due to the SNP’s incompetence, with more and more people now spending their life savings to seek private treatment instead.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said staff shortages “make it harder for patients to get the appointments and care they desperately need”.
He said: “After 19 years, the SNP cannot be trusted to help staff or patients. This is a party that hired less than one in 10 of the GPs they promised in 2017.”
Scottish Conservative health spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: "This is a damning verdict on the SNP's mismanagement of our NHS.
"The nationalists' dire workforce planning is continuing to leave frontline staff stretched to breaking point. This is creating corridor chaos in our hospitals and putting patients at dangerous risk. John Swinney cannot be trusted with our NHS.”
Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green candidate in Edinburgh Central, said: “These findings reflect what health and care staff have been saying for a long time, that too many are working in unsafe conditions, which puts both staff and patients at risk.
“The law is clear that services should have the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place to deliver safe care. But what matters is whether that is actually happening on the ground, and too often it clearly is not.”
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