Russells Hall Hospital nurses quit over safety claims
A number of senior nurses have resigned from a Black Country Hospital amid fears over patient safety and poor management, it is claimed.
It is believed that eight members of staff from the Russells Hall A&E department have quit in the last few weeks.
It is also claimed that more than 20 nurses have left since the start of 2018.
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust – which runs the hospital – has not confirmed the claims, but chief executive Diane Wake said ‘quality patient care, patient safety and to encourage people to choose to work in Dudley’ remains a priority.
It comes only days after senior medical staff at the hospital hit out over ‘bullying, bed closures and failure to investigate urgent patient safety’.
A damning letter, signed by 42 workers, raised concerns about the ‘professional conduct of the senior executives of the trust board’.
One member of staff, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “The thoughts and feelings of the senior medical staff is being reciprocated by nursing staff and we are getting to a point where in the last two weeks eight senior nurses have resigned.
“The main concern through senior nurses in general is we feel we are not being listened to, the failure to take note of patient safety concerns and the significant reduction in staffing over the last six months – it has reduced significantly, further compromising the safety of the department.
“If they don’t take our concerns seriously there will be even more staff resigning. We are really concerned about patient safety.”
Ms Wake said: “It is very natural to have a turnover of staff at the trust and we continually work hard to support them by introducing additional activities and support services, such as one-to-one meetings and staff health and wellbeing walk-in clinics.
“Our priority continues to be quality patient care, patient safety and to encourage people to choose to work in Dudley.
“Our emergency department is facing increasing patient demand, and despite this our staff turnover is 10.55 per cent, which is below the national average of 11.4 per cent from 2016/17.
“Six new staff nurses will be joining the trust in September and we have a further recruitment drive planned for August.”
