Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Survey of over 20,000 nursing staff finds 66% worked when they should have taken sick leave, with stress now the chief cause of illness
A new survey of more than twenty thousand nurses conducted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reveals that two-thirds (66 %) reported having worked while unwell, a substantial increase from 49 % in 2017. The research points to deep-seated pressures across the nursing workforce, as acute staffing shortages and rising workloads force many to continue shifts despite illness.
The results show that 65 % of respondents identified stress as the primary cause of illness, up from 50 % in 2017. Seven out of ten (70 %) said they work beyond their contracted hours at least once a week, and around half (52 %) said those extra hours went unpaid.
The survey comes as the NHS in England faces more than twenty-five thousand registered nursing vacancies.
RCN chief executive and general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger warned that nurses are “being driven to ill health by working in understaffed and under-resourced services”.
She said the findings were “cold, hard evidence” that the workforce is too thin-on-the-ground to meet rising demand safely and sustainably.
The union revealed it is receiving an average of six calls daily from members about staffing issues, burnout, panic attacks and work-related nightmares.
At the current rate, it expects to handle over two-thousand one-hundred and seventy-five such calls by year-end, up from one-thousand eight-hundred and thirty-seven in 2023.
In anecdotal testimony, nurses described chronic illness triggered by workplace stress, and a reluctance to take sick leave for fear of leaving already overwhelmed departments further short-staffed.
One nurse in a care-home setting described dreading each shift, knowing they would be short-staffed, forced to work unpaid overtime and unable to keep up.
An NHS spokesperson acknowledged the workforce crisis, stating nurses “are at the heart of the health service” and that there is more to do to address burnout and support wellbeing.
The Department of Health and Social Care reaffirmed its commitment via its ten-year health plan and the “graduate guarantee” scheme aimed at recruiting newly-qualified nurses and midwives, helping reduce pressure on existing staff.
The RCN is calling for urgent government investment in the nursing workforce, safe staffing levels, and stronger support for professionals to work in a safe environment and for patients to receive the best possible care.
The results show that 65 % of respondents identified stress as the primary cause of illness, up from 50 % in 2017. Seven out of ten (70 %) said they work beyond their contracted hours at least once a week, and around half (52 %) said those extra hours went unpaid.
The survey comes as the NHS in England faces more than twenty-five thousand registered nursing vacancies.
RCN chief executive and general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger warned that nurses are “being driven to ill health by working in understaffed and under-resourced services”.
She said the findings were “cold, hard evidence” that the workforce is too thin-on-the-ground to meet rising demand safely and sustainably.
The union revealed it is receiving an average of six calls daily from members about staffing issues, burnout, panic attacks and work-related nightmares.
At the current rate, it expects to handle over two-thousand one-hundred and seventy-five such calls by year-end, up from one-thousand eight-hundred and thirty-seven in 2023.
In anecdotal testimony, nurses described chronic illness triggered by workplace stress, and a reluctance to take sick leave for fear of leaving already overwhelmed departments further short-staffed.
One nurse in a care-home setting described dreading each shift, knowing they would be short-staffed, forced to work unpaid overtime and unable to keep up.
An NHS spokesperson acknowledged the workforce crisis, stating nurses “are at the heart of the health service” and that there is more to do to address burnout and support wellbeing.
The Department of Health and Social Care reaffirmed its commitment via its ten-year health plan and the “graduate guarantee” scheme aimed at recruiting newly-qualified nurses and midwives, helping reduce pressure on existing staff.
The RCN is calling for urgent government investment in the nursing workforce, safe staffing levels, and stronger support for professionals to work in a safe environment and for patients to receive the best possible care.
