Patients are being left to die alone in Britain’s hospitals because of ‘dangerous’ nursing shortages – as report finds just one third of shifts are fully staffed

Patients are being left to die alone in hospital amid ‘dangerous’ nursing shortages, a new report reveals.

Research carried out by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) suggests that just one third of shifts have enough nurses on duty.

Shortages mean staff often end up caring for dozens of patients at a time, with experts calling for safety-critical limits on the number of patients a single nurse can be responsible for.

A survey of more than 11,000 nursing staff found many were demoralised from being unable to keep patients safe, the RCN said.

In hospitals and community settings, just a third said their shift had the planned number of registered nurses on it. 

And significant numbers of A&E and outpatient nurses reported having more than 51 patients to care for.

A nurse working in the community in south-west England said: ‘We have days when we have 60 visits unallocated because we don’t have enough staff. 

‘We are always rushing.’

Another in the south of England said: ‘We leave over 50 patients requiring care unseen on a daily basis due to poor staffing levels. 

‘This leads to increases in hospital admissions and death. It is left to us to decide who gets seen and who gets missed, which is heartbreaking.’

In a hospital in the West Midlands, one nurse said: ‘I have not been able to sit with patients who are dying, meaning they have been left to die alone. 

‘I have not had the time to make sure patients are fed properly and have adequate drinks.’ 

And a midwife in a hospital in Yorkshire said: ‘Completely unsafe care due to unacceptable staffing levels.’

RCN acting general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said nurses are ‘fighting a losing battle to keep patients safe’ and described staffing levels as ‘dangerous to patients and demoralising for nursing staff’.

She added: ‘We desperately need urgent investment in the nursing workforce but also to see safety-critical nurse-patient ratios enshrined in law. 

‘That is how we improve care and stop patients coming to harm.’

RCN acting general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said nurses are ‘fighting a losing battle to keep patients safe’