Almost a third of NHS staff say basic hygiene supplies such as hot water and soap are not always available when they need them, according to a comprehensive survey of the workforce. A similar proportion said they would not be happy with the standard of care provided by their hospital if family or friends needed treatment, or had witnessed potentially dangerous errors in the past month. Many complained of bullying by colleagues and managers. More than four out of 10 healthcare workers also complained that low staffing levels prevented them from doing their jobs properly, in an annual study of NHS staff completed by some 165,000 employees across England’s 388 trusts....
Despite widespread attention to the risk of patients contracting potentially fatal infections such as MRSA and C.Diff in wards, there was a fall in the proportion of staff who said hot water, soap and paper towels or sanitizing alcohol rubs were always available when they needed them (down to 68 per cent from 71 per cent in 2009). Only 60 per cent said patients were always able to wash their own hands, down from 63 per cent the previous year.
Analysis unnecessary.
