UK
hospitals are putting patients in danger by leaving them in the care of
under-qualified student nurses, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.
It
claimed more than a third of its 75,000 student nurses in the UK had been left
in charge of patients with no supervision from registered doctors or nurses.
A
poll of 1,000 of its members shows 35 per cent of students had been left in
sole charge of patients, with one in eight admitting this has happened more
than five times.
A
further 26 per cent had been in this situation during their first year of
study, long before they had suitable experience or knowledge.