NHS crisis: Ayrshire nurse works 'shocking' 18 hour shift

Lothian had recorded a shift of 15 and a half hours, and Lanarkshire 14 and a half hours.

Figures from NHS Grampian indicated that its longest shift had been 22 hours, but a spokesman said this was a "data entry error" and the correct figure was actually 15 hours for a nurse working at the National Hyperbaric Centre in Aberdeen.

A spokesman for NHS Grampian said: “Longer shifts are sometimes necessary for staff working within this service due to treatment.

"For instance, a diver being treated for the bends may be required to enter our decompression chamber for a prolonged period.

"During this time they are accompanied by a nurse and it is not possible for either the patient or the nurse to leave the chamber during the treatment. 

“Shifts of this length are rare and we ensure staff are given appropriate periods of rest afterwards.” 

The figures cover the longest nursing shifts worked at any point between May and August this year, but not all health boards responded and there are also fears that the situation will escalate during the winter months.

The data was obtained by Scottish Labour which asked each of the health boards to provide details of the longest nursing shift logged with them.

The figures were obtained under freedom of information following a request by Scottish Labour (Image: FOI/NHS)

Scotland's largest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and NHS Tayside, both said it would be "too expensive" to supply the information, while NHS Forth Valley has not yet responded.

Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman, said NHS staff must be "properly supported in their work".

She added: “These figures show NHS staff being forced to work outrageously long shifts – with potentially dangerous results for NHS workers and patients.

“We cannot have those who spend their lives keeping patients safe being put at risk due to the crisis in Scotland’s NHS.

“Michael Matheson must wake up to this growing problem before things get even worse during the dark winter months.”

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland said that "staffing shortages and persistently high" vacancy rates were leaving nurses with no option at times but to work well beyond the end of their scheduled shift.

___________________________________________________________

READ MORE: 

• Shetland islander named Scotland's first 'nurse of the year'
• New taskforce set up to tackle Scotland's nursing and midwifery amid staffing crisis 
• Nurses in 'record-breaking' pay deal of 14% over two years 

___________________________________________________________

As of June this year, nearly one in ten nursing posts in Scotland were empty, and figures this week revealed that nearly 1,400 nurses had quit the profession in Scotland in the six months to the end of September - an increase of 8% year-on-year.

According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the total number who had joined the register during the period - 1,118 - was also down by 44% compared to 2022.

Nurses must be on the register to work in the NHS or the private sector in the UK, suggesting that those leaving it are retiring, switching careers, or opting to work abroad.

Overall, in the six months to September, the nursing workforce in Scotland rose by just 208, to 72,010.

Matthew McClelland, lead director for the NMC in Scotland, said it was "concerning to see fewer professionals joining for the first time, and more leaving, compared to the same period last year".

Nursing and midwifery vacancy rates in Scotland, from 2015 to June 2023 (Image: Turas/NHS)

Colin Poolman, Scotland director for the RCN, said the figures on longest shifts were "shocking" and "illustrate the impact that staffing shortages and persistently high levels of nursing vacancies are having on Scotland’s hard-pressed nursing staff".

He added: "Sadly these figures will not surprise our members who know, only too well, that often there is no option but to stay on longer than the end of their shift.

"While these figures highlight the longest shifts nurses have worked, we know from our members that working over their contracted hours is the norm and that nurses are still going home feeling like they’ve not been able to provide the quality of care that they would like.

“This has a serious impact on patient safety and staff wellbeing and it is vital that the Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce tackles the chronic and excessive pressures on nursing staff.

"Scotland’s safe staffing legislation comes into force next April and this must be accompanied by the investment needed to enable employers to meet their safe staffing requirements.”

Nearly 1,400 nurses in Scotland quit the register in the six months to the end of September this year (Image: Getty)

Wilma Brown said, head of health at Unison Scotland, said: “These figures show the impact staff shortages are having on workloads.  And they underline just how acute the staffing crisis is in our NHS.

"And even if these are the exception in some health boards it is still totally unacceptable. We will be taking up these figure with local boards.

"This is a consequence of bad workforce planning by this government and they need to take steps now to resolve it.

"We cannot just rely on the goodwill and sense of duty of NHS staff to run the NHS.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said NHS Scotland staffing is at "record levels" with £18 million invested since autumn 2021 on recruiting 1,250 extra nurses, midwives and allied health professionals from overseas by the end of March next year.

She added: "Patient safety and staff wellbeing is paramount and it is critical that staff are able to take rest breaks and leave to which they are entitled, as well as being given time to access local and national wellbeing resources, which includes the National Wellbeing Hub, the National Wellbeing Helpline and confidential mental health treatment. ”