Labour warn of ‘dangerously understaffed’ hospital wards - Heidi Alexander

Labour are today warning of hospital wards being left dangerously understaffed, as new figures reveal the number of nurses, midwives and health visitors per head of the population has fallen since the Tories came to power.

Five years ago the Tories promised to invest in the NHS. However, new analysis from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Labour Party, shows that the number of nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff working in the NHS has fallen from 6,786 per million people in November 2009 to 6,645 in November 2015.

The analysis comes as a new survey from UNISON reveals that safe staffing levels across the NHS have worsened significantly in the last year.

According to the survey, nearly two thirds of nursing staff said they felt there were inadequate numbers of staff on the wards to ensure safe, dignified and compassionate care. Three-quarters said they worried poor staffing levels was a risk to patient safety.

Labour are today pushing for vote in Parliament to call on the Government to “drop its plans to remove NHS bursaries” and consult on how best to fund and support the future healthcare workforce.

The Royal College of Nursing has recently warned that the cuts to student bursaries “risks reducing access to nursing and making workforce planning even more difficult.”

Heidi Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said:

“These figures are yet further proof that David Cameron’s government is failing patients and failing the NHS.

“Six years of failed Tory NHS policies has left hospital wards dangerously understaffed and nurses struggling to cope. This is impacting on patient care and leaving important tasks being left undone, including changing dressings or helping patients to finish meals.

“The sad truth is this situation is only going to get worse if Ministers press ahead with their plans to scrap NHS bursaries and discourage the next generation of frontline staff.

“Today’s vote in Parliament on NHS bursaries is an opportunity for MPs to stand up for frontline staff, rather than stand by and allow the hospital staffing crisis to deepen even further.”