NHS Grampian at "breaking point"
94% of staff say their area is short staffed, according to a UNISON survey
NHS Grampian are at "breaking point", according to the areas biggest trade union, UNISON.
The union's Grampian Health branch representative, Martin McKay, said: “Staff in our local NHS have gone beyond the call of duty over the last two years.
"But they are now at breaking point.
"The public will be shocked that most now believe their areas are unsafe, and we can’t paper over the cracks anymore."
A survey of UNISON members in NHS Grampian was carried out with results showing that staff feel stressed and overworked.
'The results were pretty shocking'
Speaking to Northsound, Regional Organiser for UNISON Simon Watson, said, "To be honest the results were pretty shocking.
"They came back saying a majority felt that the services they were providing weren't safe because there was so many staff off."
69% of staff have been working extra hours each week, whilst 10% say that they do overtime each day.
94% of staff said that their area was short staffed, with 59% saying that this is the case everyday, according to a survey carried out by the union.
"We've been warning for a long time that there was a staffing crisis coming", added Watson.
"Frankly there hasn't been enough done about it. We've been talking to our members about how things have been at work and what they've said is that they're being stressed.
"They're worried about how much money they're taking home.
"A lot of these staff in the NHS are not only stressed about Covid and short staffing, they're now saying how are we going to make sure our families are fine? How do we keep our houses warm? Are we going to be able to put food on the table?"
74% of members have asked for more support in the workplace, while over a third of members have contacted their GP, occupational health or line manager about their stress levels.
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