A shortage of nursing staff in healthcare is one of the main issues facing the UK healthcare sector, and the consequences are far more serious. While healthcare providers in the UK might benefit financially in the short run by having to maintain an excessively lean workforce, but in the long run, not having enough nursing staff will stop them from growing and thriving. This also strains its relationship with clients and lowers healthcare workers morale and productivity.
The nursing staff shortage resulted in a series of chain reactions, including a decline in the quality of care, medical errors, patient dissatisfaction, declining quality scores for the hospital, high stress and low nurse morale, and finally a high turnover rate among nurses. Chronic short staffing also exposes healthcare providers in the UK to risk if there is a sudden, unexpected spike in patient volumes, such as seen in natural disasters, riots, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UK has been facing a nursing staff shortage for quite a while. There are numerous explanations for this, such as:
With an ageing baby boomer population requiring more healthcare services and a large number of baby boomer nurses retiring every year, the demand for nurses at hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities greatly exceeds the supply. According to reports, in the next 25 years, the number of people aged 85 and older will double to 2.6 million.
The healthcare workers and nursing staff are demanding a pay hike as they are not paid enough for the service they provide to society as a whole. This causes most healthcare professionals to leave nursing jobs and move on to other careers.
The nursing professionals feel that the respect and dignity they are given for the service they provide to the UK community are lessened. Patients, their families, doctors, and healthcare providers put pressure on the nursing staff, which ultimately leads to depression and other mental health issues.
As the nursing staff shortage spikes, the current nurses in healthcare facilities find it hard to cope with the long hours of work they are put in. This will force them to work for more than 12 hours, which will again affect their productivity and increase stress, forcing them to leave the industry and switch to other career options.
Due to the shortage of nursing staff in the UK, most nurses and healthcare professionals are forced to work additional hours to meet the demand for patient care. Working for over 10–12 hours can be physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting, which further leads to burnout.
Apart from this, most hospitals in the UK only focus on true vacancies—the number of approved FTE jobs that are unfilled. However, solely relying on this statistic can lead to poor planning because it doesn't take into account other factors that impact nurse availability. An operational vacancy that includes the number of unoccupied positions and the number of nurses unavailable for scheduling due to extended leave, illness, training, or orientation is a more accurate indicator of staffing needs. Furthermore, an endemic like COVID-19 can also throw the healthcare staffing system and providers in the UK into crisis. Unpredictable patient influxes can leave nurse managers scrambling to find coverage.
In such situations, flexible staffing solutions can help healthcare providers in the UK meet their nursing staffing demands.
In order for healthcare providers, whether a hospital, a nursing home, or any other care facility, to function to the highest possible standards and provide care to their maximum potential, it is necessary to implement the appropriate staffing solutions. Effective staffing solutions are necessary for improved patient outcomes, and this is where agencies like Nurses Group come in.
Nurses Group provides practical solutions to the existing healthcare recruitment challenges. Utilising the most appropriate employment solutions enables a higher level of performance and eliminates the difficulties associated with recruiting a skilled labour force for specific tasks. There are numerous reasons why healthcare providers in the UK choose flexible staffing agencies for staffing solutions. Here are five reasons why healthcare providers need nursing staffing solutions:
Healthcare staffing solutions provided by nursing agencies such as Nurses Group can help healthcare providers in the UK save money by providing staff on an as-needed basis, as opposed to employing full-time, in-house nursing staff to do the hiring for them. This can save money on benefits, training, and other expenses associated with hiring an employee. Furthermore, cost-effectiveness can also be seen when a healthcare provider is looking for fast hiring solutions for experienced candidates. This helps healthcare providers fill their job vacancies quickly, which in turn allows for continuity of care for patients while keeping costs down in the process.
With nursing staffing solutions, healthcare providers in the UK can ensure that they have enough staff to meet their demands at all times and thus provide proper care for patients. This facility also helps to avoid staff burnout, which can lead to medical errors and poor patient outcomes. At Nurses Group, we ensure continuity of care during peaks in demand by supplying the right, fast, flexible, and reliable staff at short notice. The availability of skilled workers facilitates the seamless operation of healthcare providers in the UK and gives those who utilise their services peace of mind. Professional staffing solutions enable healthcare providers to focus on patient care and other pertinent issues without having to stress about recruitment or staffing shortages, thereby enhancing patient care and staff welfare.
Staff solutions can provide hospitals with the flexibility to quickly respond to changes in patient demand, ensuring that patients are always receiving the care they need. By working with a nursing agency like Nurses Group, healthcare providers can fill short-term positions and meet their immediate staffing needs without committing to contracts or hiring permanent employees. Nurses Group UK provides affordable nursing staff on short notice, enabling healthcare providers to remain proficient in times of uncertainty.
By ensuring that patients in the UK receive care from qualified, experienced professionals, staffing solutions help to improve patient outcomes and lower the possibility of medical errors. Staffing solutions make it easier for healthcare providers to find the right candidate who is qualified and experienced enough to provide quality care, which is an essential factor in patient care. When you partner with healthcare staffing solutions like Nurses Group, you can be confident that you will have access to qualified and experienced nurses and other healthcare professionals who will enable you to run your care facilities smoothly.
Healthcare staffing solutions are becoming increasingly important in order to comply with applicable laws and regulations. At Nurses Group, all of our policies are created in the interest of our clients and staff. The healthcare industry in the UK is highly regulated, and with the right nursing agency like the Nurses Group, you can be assured that the staff who are placed in healthcare facilities adhere to the standard policies and regulations set by the government. Compliance can be a challenging process, but comprehensive healthcare staffing solutions can streamline it for maximum efficiency.
Nurses Group is the foremost provider of nursing staffing solutions in the UK, providing qualified and seasoned nurses and care workers to healthcare providers. We ensure that our agency nurses comply with government rules and regulations in order to provide healthcare providers with the most qualified personnel. While also ensuring that the healthcare providers' work environment is safe and secure for our agency nurses.
Nurses Group became the most trusted healthcare agency by following the simple formula, we treat our clients like family. We aim to provide a quality and reliable healthcare service through our team of committed and experienced nursing staff.
Nurses Group is a family-owned and operated Healthcare Company with years of experience in the UK healthcare industry. © Nurses Group, a division of JSS Healthcare Ltd. Registered in England & Wales. Reg No. 09846338
