The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned that workforce shortages are causing nursing staff's stress levels hit an eight-year high.

An RCN survey has revealed that healthcare settings are so short-staffed that nursing staff are working while unwell. Stress is the leading cause of illness and has reached and eight-year high.

66 per cent admit to working when they should be on sick leave, multiple times a year, up from fewer than half in 2017.

Staff are suffering nightmares, panic attacks and exhaustion because of unsafe staffing levels. The RCN advice line is set to receive its highest number of calls about staffing issues since 2022.

The RCN has called for new investment to grow the nursing workforce, alongside the introduction of minimum, safety-critical nurse-to-patient ratios across all health and care settings.
 

RCN general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Nursing staff are being driven to ill health from working in understaffed and under-resourced services. And what’s worse, many feel they cannot take time off for fear of leaving their colleagues at the mercy of brutal pressures. This simply isn’t sustainable.”

“Nursing staff strive to do their best for every patient on every shift, but they are left with the impossible task of caring for dozens and sometimes over a hundred at a time. This is hugely detrimental to patient outcomes, but there also needs to be action to address the devastating impact on staff themselves. The reality is they’re not breaking; many are already broken.

“These findings are yet more cold, hard evidence that there are simply too few nursing staff to meet growing demand. New and urgent investment is desperately needed to grow the nursing workforce, ensuring staff are able to work in a safe environment and that patients get the best care. This must be accompanied by the introduction of safety-critical nurse-to-patient ratios in all health and care settings."