NHS staff feel that they are sinking under a rising tide of paperwork, bureaucracy and workload pressures, two reports have separately argued.
The Unison union has warned that two-thirds (65%) of NHS workers are seriously thinking about leaving their jobs, with two in five saying they are considering a move beyond healthcare.
Its poll, Undervalued, Overwhelmed, of 10,500 NHS workers, found that the key reasons for this were: low pay (58%); staff shortages (58%); and the changing nature of the NHS (56%).
Four in five (82%) said that their workload had increased, as had their stress levels (79%) and the number of patients they were caring for (62%). As a result, more than one-third (36%) believed the quality of care provided had got worse.
One in five (21%) said their employer was not doing anything about staff shortages, and almost half (49%) reported relying on agency staff.
At the same time, a report by Your Legal Friend has concluded that, on average, medical professionals lose 12 hours to administration a week.
GPs topped the list, spending an average of 14 hours a week on admin.
Almost half (48%) of those polled felt the amount of paperwork had gone up in the past five years.
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The British Medical Association (BMA) earlier this year published guidelines designed to help overworked and stressed GPs to manage their workloads better.
The guidance, “Quality first: managing workload to deliver safe patient care”, is intended to provide practical advice to doctors in managing workloads and maintaining patient safety, the BMA said.
