Candy reflects on Cidália’s account of nursing care from our ‘In Focus’ issue and calls for greater action to address the issues facing the nursing profession today.

In Cidália Eusébio’s essay, she reflects on the depersonalisation and reduction in quality nursing care in the National Health Service (NHS) due to a combination of chronic staffing shortages, an ever-growing demand for care, and a lack of appropriate policy recommendations to address these issues.  

It’s a shame to say that my experience is not dissimilar to Cidália’s. The pandemic only worsened existing systemic problems. It often feels like every health care professional is hounding the same message. They are not lying, nor exaggerating. Policy documents, standard operating procedures, and business case plans beautifully detail what care should look like, but they are so far from the reality of what is happening on the ground. The inflexibility of these documents, that should protect the interests of patients and workers, is infuriating. The inability of the people in positions of power to adequately respond to this epidemic is disheartening. 

The pandemic displayed how resilient and responsive our health system can be, but leadership needs to be more responsive to be able to support its staff and ensure the safety of patients. There is a need for a more integrated leadership and governance system between policy makers, clinical educators, and those on the frontline. Newly qualified, experienced, and skilled nurses are leaving the profession in droves and gratitude alone will not resolve the trauma they endure and the compromises they make to keep things going. Instead, more concrete action by those in power is needed. 

The pool of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is full of talent and innovation that can address some of the issues we are grappling with day-to-day, and we need to take advantage of this by ensuring they are given the right tools and space to grow and flourish. The NHS and the government have committed to a number of initiatives which aim to improve retention, make the NHS a more attractive employer, and resolve a number of the systemic problems that have led us to where we are now.  However, as a collective workforce, we must press on. The benefits of resolving staffing shortages, tackling inequitable pay, and redefining workplace culture may take years to come to fruition, but we must do what we can now to ensure that no further harm is endured. 

The first step, in my opinion, is not denying the existence and severity of the problem when a nurse tells you things are bad. Don’t just say, “thank you for what you do”, but show them, tell them you hear them. A future where these are things of the past is possible, but first we must look to, listen to, and support our nurses.