After more than a decade of underfunding in the NHS, overworked frontline staff at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Southmead hospital spoke to Bristol Live about the difficulties they face at work at a time when the staffing shortage has reached a crisis point. Across the country, the unions representing NHS workers are balloting members, who could go on strike over pay later this year.
Although the government has recently increased pay, it has not been enough to keep up with inflation and Healthcare Assistants in Bristol are still earning below the national living wage. While nurses spoke of working more than 13 hours without a break, HCAs are frequently having to dress wounds and cannulate veins while getting a similar rate of pay to supermarket workers in Aldi.
Deep cuts in social care and mental health alongside a growing ageing population with more complex medical needs, mean that nurses and assistants are not always able to carry out the necessary level of care, which has left many feeling demoralised.
