We’ve launched a short survey to gather the latest on-the-ground information about your experiences at work. It asks about staffing levels on your last shift and what impact they had on patient care.
Nursing staffing levels influence patient safety, morale, recruitment, retention and outcomes. To improve on any of these things, we need an accurate picture of how things are now.
The information you provide will be used to campaign for real change. When we last ran this survey in 2022, your responses were used to secure a key debate on nurse staffing levels in the House of Lords.
The findings of this year’s survey will be used to influence decision makers about what’s needed to support nursing staff deliver safe and effective patient care. They will inform our strategy to fight for safe nurse-to-patient ratios in all care settings in all parts of the UK.
We want to know what you think staffing levels should be like in your workplace, what the reality is, and what the disparity between this means for you and your patients.
The survey also asks whether staffing levels and skill mix were sufficient to meet patients’ needs, as well as how many additional hours you worked and whether you were able to take your breaks.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Pat Cullen said: “We want to hear from all members of the nursing profession, whether they work in the NHS or the independent sector, in hospitals, care homes, GP practices or out in the community and beyond.
“As nursing staff your experiences are vital to telling this story. You’re living this day in and day out and your professional judgement of what you, your colleagues and your patients need is second to none.”
It takes just 15-20 minutes to complete and responses are anonymous. The survey closes at 11pm on Monday 1 April 2024.
