Nurses shortage slammed as 'elephant in room' after 900 extra NHS beds announced

14 August 2023 , 23:01

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RCN chief Pat Cullen said: 'Nursing staff are already spread too thinly over too many patients' (Image: PA)

Health bosses last night accused ministers of failing to address staff shortages as it announced 900 extra beds for the NHS. Royal College of Nursing chief Pat Cullen said “the elephant in the room is who will staff these additional beds” after the Department of Health announced a £250million package to boost capacity.

The funding forms part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery plan, a two-year blueprint, which aims to increase NHS capacity with 5,000 new beds, improve patient experience and reduce waiting times. Some 30 NHS organisations will benefit from yesterday’s funding announcement, which will also include developing or expanding urgent treatment centres and same-day emergency care services. The NHS said it expects the majority of the projects to be completed by January. It comes after new data from NHS England revealed waiting lists had reached a record 7.6million at the end of June.

Ms Cullen: “Nursing staff are already spread too thinly over too many patients. Everyday nursing staff are under unsustainable pressure, with over 40,000 vacant nursing posts in England. It is leaving our patients receiving lower quality care, often in inappropriate settings, and our colleagues burnt out and heading towards the door. If the Prime Minister is serious about cutting waiting times, he should not ignore the nursing staff walking out of the profession.”

Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: “Increasing the number of beds could help ease pressure on hospitals by closing the gap between capacity and demand, meaning patients could be seen sooner.” But she added that “this is just one piece of a much larger puzzle”.

“Not only will these new beds need to be staffed, but underlying issues including workforce shortages, a lack of investment in capital and the desperate need for social care reform will ultimately hinder progress unless also addressed,” she said.

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Rishi Sunak said: "Cutting waiting lists is one of my top five priorities, so this year the Government has started planning for winter earlier than ever before and the public can be reassured we are backing the NHS with the resources it needs. These 900 new beds will mean more people can be treated quickly, speeding up flow through hospitals and reducing frustratingly long waits for treatment."

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the move should allow the NHS to "get ahead" of winter pressures while creating a "sustainable" health service that is "fit for the future". He added: "Creating additional hospital capacity will support staff to provide the best possible care and treat patients more quickly, helping us to improve waiting times."

Amanda Pritchard, NHS England chief executive, said: "Winter is always a busy time for the NHS and so it is right that we put robust plans in place as early as possible to boost capacity and help frontline staff to prepare for additional pressure. Our winter plans, which build on the progress already made on our urgent and emergency care recovery plan, aim to reduce waiting times for patients and to transform services with an expansion of same day care and virtual wards, helping patients to be cared for in their own home where possible."

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Sophie Huskisson