Not enough NHS staff to ensure safe care on wards, survey finds

There are not enough NHS staff to ensure safe care for maternity patients or those recovering from injury or illness, according to a poll.

Nurses, healthcare assistants and midwives who responded to a Unison survey said there were too few staff on 69% of shifts, up from 63% two years ago.

NHS workers reported the highest proportion of safety concerns after their shifts on maternity wards (81%), in rehabilitation units helping people recover from injury, illness or disability (81%) or those looking after the elderly (82%).

Taking place in 42 hospitals across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, staff completed anonymous surveys at the end of their shifts in October and November last year, with surveys completed for 1,470 shifts.

The results showed a “red flag’” event involving a serious risk to safety occurred on more than half (56%) of all shifts, and were more more common on shifts where staff did not think there were enough workers.

The issues reported included delays of more than 30 minutes in giving patients pain relief.

About three in five workers (64%) reported staffing gaps to their NHS trust, with only one in five of those doing so saying they received a satisfactory response.

For those staff who did not report concerns, more than half (54%) said it was because they were not confident their employer would take action.

Unison national nursing officer Stuart Tuckwood said: “These figures show staffing levels across the health service are alarmingly low on a regular basis.

“Nursing staff are often unable to provide vital care or administer pain relief to their patients on time.

“Workers are desperate for help from their employers, but there’s little action when they report their concerns.

“These figures should be a wake-up call for health service leaders given the state of NHS finances and talk of cuts. Urgent investment is needed in hospital staffing to ensure patients are kept safe.”

Published: 23/04/2025 by Radio NewsHub