142 of the 480 nurses and midwives surveyed believe that the care NHS patients receive will be of a lower quality under the new coalition government than it was under Labour.
However, a significant number of almost 100 nurses feel differently - that the new Liberal Democrat - Conservative coalition will able to deliver a better overall service of care. And that is a more positive reponse to a non-Labour Government than that recorded before the election.
Prior to the election, a previous Nurses.co.uk survey showed a massive swing in favour of Labour. Then, in March, the clear feeling among the nurses questioned was that the NHS could only be trusted under Gordon Brown.
It would seem the coalition Government is gaining grudging favour from UK nurses.
The results of the survey also demonstrate confidence in the coalition’s ability to drive inefficiency savings. Many nurses feel that savings can and should be made and now seem supportive of the Cameron-Clegg ability to achieve these.
However, only 48 of those surveyed actually believe the Government will stick to the Conservative election campaign promise to increase spending on the NHS in real terms. This remains a coalition pledge.
Despite the relative positivity, over 220 of the nurses surveyed feel that, sooner or later, frontline services will be significantly impacted. It’s difficult to understand how any cuts in frontline services will allow the coalition to provide a better overall level of care.
The biggest message coming from nurses themselves in the survey is that ward staffing levels - the actual number of nurses and midwives - needs to be addressed and immediately. Matt Farrah, one of the directors of Nurses.co.uk, responded to this particular result in the survey. “It’s abundantly clear to anyone in the UK nursing recruitment industry that there are shortages of nurses and midwives in all specialisms. If the coalition want to provide a better level of care in the NHS they won’t achieve that if their cuts do end up hitting nursing staff.
“The skills shortages are particularly acute in midwifery, theatres and critical care. We talk to healthcare recruiters every day. There simply aren’t enough nurses for the jobs available. We hear it every day. The NHS and the independent sector can’t meet the demands for these skills even with the existing numbers of registered nurses. If efficiency cuts do end up affecting frontline staff then the NHS will be facing a huge problem. It would leave a huge gap in an NHS that already needs more trained nursing staff coming through.”
