Exhausted nurses warning of ‘burnout’ and ‘risks to patient safety’ over shift extensions

Theatre nurses are due to take strike action at two central London hospitals over an extension of their shift times, the Unite union has announced.

Day surgery theatre nurses at Guy’s and St Thomas’ – of which there are about 50 – will walk out on July 30 and 31, after the end of their shift time was moved from 8pm to 9pm.

Theatre staff had already had their shifts extended from 7pm to 8pm, Unite said, and have had to start working Saturdays to support extra theatre lists.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The leadership of Guy’s and St Thomas’ cannot keep burying their heads in the sand over unsustainable workloads. Our nurses cannot carry on meeting the excessive demands being placed on them.

“Staff are on the verge of burnout and patient safety is being put at risk. Our members will not be moved and Unite is supporting them all the way.”

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is one of the UK’s busiest NHS trusts with 2.6million patient contacts each year. The trust said: “The vast majority of our theatre nurses will continue to finish at 8pm, as they have for the past 10 years.

“Some theatre lists are required to run longer than the traditional end time to maximise capacity for patient surgery. Theatre nurses have worked ad hoc overtime when this happens or lists have over run.

“Staff told us that nurses were being asked to work beyond their normal hours once or twice a month on average.”

The union said staff are already “chronically overworked” and the change in shift time is “compromising patient safety because they are exhausted”. Unite said further industrial action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved.

The nurses previously took strike action on June 27, and July 2.

During the strike action, Unite will present the trust’s board with a petition from patients and the public, supporting the nurse’s stance. There will also be demonstrations at the hospital, department of health and NHS England.

Unite regional officer Tabusam Ahmed said: “The NHS is in desperate need of investment, but that cannot be solved by overworking staff until they drop, which is what is happening at Guys and St Thomas’. The trust’s plans forcing nurses to work even later, will destroy their work life balance and will result in a staffing exodus.

“This dispute will continue to escalate until the trust’s leadership puts forward an acceptable solution.”

A Guy’s and St Thomas’’ spokeswoman said: “We would strongly encourage Unite to end their refusal to join talks with Acas and to find a resolution that will benefit staff and patients.”

Pictured top: Guy’s and St Thomas’ theatre nurses strike (Picture: Unite the Union)