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Article: Staff exodus has intensive care on the critical list As a staffing crisis grips London hospitals, an Evening Standard investigation has revealed that one in five intensive care nursing posts is vacant and some units face shortfalls of over 40 per cent. Zoe Morris reports
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- August 13, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2001 Evening Standard - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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INTENSIVE care units are the worst hit of all hospital departments
by the exodus of experienced nurses from the capital.
Millions of pounds have been invested in increasing the number of
intensive care beds and on campaigns to tempt experienced nurses back
to the NHS. But managers have struggled to make recruitment keep pace
with demand.
Figures show that overall, 19.5 per cent of London's intensive
care nursing posts are not filled with a permanent member of staff.
This forces hospitals to rely on agency nurses who can cost the
NHS three times as much. These nurses are often working in unfamiliar
surroundings and cannot take on as much responsibility for patient
care.
At Epsom and St ...