Op cancellation data sparks call for ‘sustainable’ nurse workforce strategy

New data released this week by the the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) showed that more than 13,000 elective operations were cancelled over the past two months, with staff shortages being partly blamed.

“Health leaders are clear this should include how people can be supported to be well in the community”

Matthew Taylor

Responding, Professor Geraldine Walters, executive director of professional practice at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, told Nursing Times: “It’s clear that health and care services are facing severe pressures, including well publicised workforce challenges that are impacting on services.

“That’s why national and local leaders need to collaborate on a sustainable strategy to attract, support and retain nursing and midwifery professionals across health and social care.”

She said having such a strategy in place would “help to make sure that people can receive the safe, effective and kind care they have a right to expect”.

More than 50 NHS trusts and health boards across the UK submitted data for the RCEM’s Winter Flow Project, which looks at patient flow within emergency departments.

Weekly data on elective cancellations taken from the beginning of October 2021 to the end of November 2021, showed an 11% increase, with 1,536 recorded in the first week to 1,700 in the last week. Across the period recorded there were 13,061 elective cancellations in total.

“Demoralised staff need to be shown they’re valued in the next pay settlement”

Sara Gorton

The RCEM concluded the number was “creeping up fairly steadily”, which it said indicated that there were “growing difficulties in terms of discharging patients”.

Unison head of health Sara Gorton warned that “chronic staff shortages” needed to be addressed to deal with cancellations and wait times which, she said, were “blighting” every part of the health service.

She added: “Demoralised staff need to be shown they’re valued in the next pay settlement to give them a reason to stay and social care needs to be fixed to free up bed space.”

Labour’s shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “It is not good enough for thousands of people in need of operations to have them cancelled, forcing them to wait longer, often in pain and discomfort.

“Waiting lists are already at record levels, yet the government has no plan to address the chronic shortages in GPs, doctors, nurses and social care staff.”

Figures released last month by NHS Digital showed, as of September 2021, there were 39,813 nurse vacancies across the health service in England – an increase of 7% from September 2020.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, stressed that NHS teams were working hard to respond to patient demand and praised the number of diagnostic tests and treatments they had rolled out.

He changed his tone, however, when speaking about the upcoming winter months.

He said there was “no denying” the pandemic’s disruptiveness and that leaders were “deeply worried” about the challenges they face.

Mr Taylor said “a comprehensive plan is being developed; alongside additional investment allocated” to tackle the waiting lists.

“Health leaders are clear this should include how people can be supported to be well in the community and making sure appropriate arrangements are in place so that those who are medically fit can be discharged from hospital without delay,” he warned.