Comment: It is essential that further funding is pumped into the NHS

In response to a recent study that reported, ‘One in four NHS wards has dangerously low numbers of nurses’, our Medical Negligence Solicitor, Bethany Hodgkins believes there is a correlation between the lack of resources available to the NHS and the volume of medical negligence claims being made.  

“This new study which highlights the shortage of registered nurses is worrying.

Here at Fletchers Solicitors, the majority of the medical negligence claims that we see are out of a lack of resources rather than incompetence.

When low on numbers, it is an inevitability that errors will be made, as quite simply, nurses cannot be in two places at once.

A reduction in the number of nurses can lead to injuries such as pressure sores, due to insufficient time to turn the patient, and falls due to inadequate risk assessments.

These sort of things are completely avoidable but can cause a great deal of pain and suffering for patients who are already vulnerable from pre-existing medical conditions.

Unfortunately, it is a never ending cycle whereby these avoidable injuries require additional care and resources which then takes away time for other patients, putting them at risk.

This places not only patients in real danger, but also the nurses themselves. Many end up working overtime and putting their own health at risk due to exhaustion and stress.

Nurses being unable to address their own wellbeing further increases the chance of mistakes being made when they are not at their best. It also risks them having to take time off due to stress related illness.

In the interests of all parties, it is essential that further funding is pumped into the NHS to ensure resources are adequate and care can be provided as is necessary.

Without an injection of cash and increased resources, it is difficult to see how the NHS can survive.”