NHS staffing shortages putting lives at risk

Following reports that one in four NHS wards routinely operate at unsafe staffing levels, Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Councillor Wendy Rider said:"When there are not enough nurses, patient care suffers, and lives are put at risk."

Wendy added "The Tories, hopelessly distracted by Brexit, are sitting on their hands as staffing shortages worsen. Not to mention that since the referendum, the UK has also seen a dramatic fall in EU nurses with an overall decrease of 5000 European nurses since September 2016. Liberal Democrats have long called for a national workforce strategy and significant investment into nurse education to ensure nursing figures rise and safe staffing levels are achieved. To fail to act is to put lives at risk. Liberal Democrats demand better for nurses, demand better for patients, and demand better for the NHS."