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“We have witnessed senior experienced staff crying with frustration and anger…[they are] mentally drained and despite their best efforts have seen patients suffer and have received negative comments from distraught relatives and carers.”
These are the widely reported words of managers at Royal Preston Hospital in a letter describing how NHS employees are being reduced to tears.1 It’s an eye opening account of what’s happening in our health service.
All across the NHS, widespread workforce shortages and staff burnout are taking their toll on hard working, but overstretched professionals under sustained pressure.
Over the past few weeks, covid-19 infection rates have soared again in England. Hospital admissions and deaths have risen too, although not as high as before thanks to a successful mass covid-19 vaccination by the NHS. There has been a worrying increase in the number of NHS staff off work due to covid-19 which is having a knock-on effect on patient care, on efforts to deal with care backlogs, and on meeting ongoing demand for services.
The last two years have undoubtedly been the most challenging period in NHS’s history. Staff continue to work flat out, doing their best for patients, but...