Morale among community nurses is low In Wales, with many leaving their roles due to stress and an increased workload, a report by the Welsh Assembly has claimed.
One of the biggest issues raised by nurses during the inquiry was their inability to access to technology to enable them to do their job effectively, while others stated that their teams were understaffed and overstretched.
‘We are proud of the work that community nurses do. They are unsung heroes in the health service. We are concerned to hear from nurses about low staff morale and in some cases nurses are leaving the service as a result of stress and increased workload,’ said Dai Lloyd, the chair of the Assembly's Health, Social Care and Sport committee.
‘For the service to improve and thrive we need to make sure that staffing levels are right, that nurses are provided with the mobile technology they need to do their jobs effectively and that community nursing is seen as an attractive career.’
Concern was also raised about the number of specialist children’s nurses in the community. According to evidence submitted to the report newly qualified children’s nurses are tending to go into [hospital based] neonatal care. However, with more children with complex needs being supported at home, there was greater demand for children’s nurses in the community.
‘The low number of Community Children’s Nurses with the Specialist Practitioner Qualification is reflected the other countries of the UK. The QNI has been calling for a UK-wide review of the capacity and capability of the CCN services to ensure that children and families have the right nurse with the right skills available to deliver the highly skilled care at home,’ said Crystal Oldman, chief executive of the QNI.
‘As a solution focused organisation, with a mission to enable people to receive the best possible care in their homes and communities, we would be pleased to help and support the Welsh Government in addressing the recommendations.’