NHS crisis: low staffing to blame for high hospital mortality rates

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

A report into 14 hospital trusts with high death rates will today criticise low staffing levels and inadequate numbers of nurses, The Telegraph can disclose.

Evidence considered by Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England Medical Director, discloses that all bar one of the trusts had a lower ratio of nurses to patients than the national average.

At George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust last year just 15.5 hours were spent by each qualified nurse per month directly benefiting patients, compared with the average of 85.6 nationally.

The picture at Tameside hospital, was little better, with just 17.4 hours, and 25.5 hours at the Dudley Group of Hospitals.

Sir Bruce is today expected to instruct all 14 trusts to undertake an urgent review of their staffing levels...

... The clear link between staffing and mortality rates will mean that trusts around the country will also be expected to examine the numbers of nurses they employ, amid criticism of some hospitals for an over-reliance on healthcare assistants.

The scandal at Stafford Hospital occurred after massive staff cutbacks, which meant that on one floor of the hospital, there were just two qualified nurses to care for patients at night. ...

... Sir Bruce will describe how each hospital let its patients down badly through poor care, medical errors and failures of management, and will show that the scandal of Stafford Hospital, where up to 1,200 patients died needlessly, was not a one-off. ..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10181920/NHS-crisis-low-staffing-to-blame-for-high-hospital-mortality-rates.html