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A TRADE union in Scotland is at the forefront of understanding the reality for staff on the NHS frontline.

A new survey by the union Unison found that almost two-thirds of NHS staff in Scotland were unaware of the new legislation on safe staffing levels which came into effect last month.

The survey also found that 89% had not received training on the regulations, which began on April 1, as the union’s head of health for Scotland said guidance was only made available four days before the Health and Care (Staffing) Act came into effect.

The survey was carried out in March, before the new law came into force, with 3781 people responding.

Initially passed in 2019, but stalled as a result of the pandemic, it is the first legislation in the UK to set out requirements for safe staffing levels across both the health and care sectors.

Unison said many incidents of short-staffing in the NHS are not being reported as the existing recording tool, Datix, is time-consuming and cumbersome.

'Patients deserve better care'

Matt McLaughlin, Unison Scotland’s head of health, said: “Our members repeatedly tell us they do not have enough staff or enough time to give patients the care they need and deserve.

“In wards where they do meet staffing requirements, there is often not the correct skill mix to meet patients’ needs. This puts patients’ safety at risk and puts staff in unacceptably stressful situations.

“The reality is that staff don’t believe things are safe and NHS staff are left picking up the slack while no one holds their hospitals accountable.”

These figures help to paint a bigger picture on the reality of working in the NHS. When we read headlines about waiting times in A&E, or the huge backlog of operations, perhaps it makes more sense to view these problems in the context of staff working conditions.

Unison has made it pretty clear: Improved conditions for staff ultimately means better treatment for patients.

Industrial reaction

Meanwhile, Aslef train drivers have started three days of strike action in a dispute over pay, with services in Scotland facing potential disruption on until Wednesday. Drivers on CrossCountry, LNER, Northern and Transpennine Express are walking out.

Jobcentre security guards are set to launch a 24-hour strike in a dispute over pay. Around 1000 security guards from GMB will walk out from midnight on Tuesday after raising complaints of abuse, with further dates planned for later in the month.