Responding to the latest NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Report, RCN Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said:
“This data shows exactly why nurses across the country are standing up for their patients and joining picket lines for a second consecutive day today.
“With 14,000 patients stuck in hospitals in England who are medically fit to be discharged but can't be because of the lack of community and social care – a near record – and hospitals full to bursting, the pressure on health and care shows no sign of waning.
“The 47,000 nursing vacancies in England alone need to be filled and fair pay would boost recruitment and retention. The workforce crisis and nursing being underpaid has made care unsafe.
“The Prime Minister and his ministers need to recognise why nursing staff are standing out in the cold on picket lines. It is time they drop the tired rhetoric, do their jobs and negotiate with nurses.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
This data above refers to the NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Report, published on Thursday 19 January 2023.
There are near-record delays to discharge patients. On average there were 14,036 patients remaining in hospital who no longer met the criteria to reside last week (09/01/2023 to 15/01/2023) similar to the previous week when on average there was 14,069.
Adult G&A bed occupancy remains at 96% and Adult critical care bed occupancy remains at 83%.
