Exclusive: Ninewells worker claims morale at 'all-time low' amid surge in covid cases
After the number of patients in Tayside's hospitals reached record levels last week, a health care assistant's telling us staff are at "breaking point"
Last updated 19th Jan 2021
Tay News is hearing from a health care assistant at Ninewells Hospital who says staff are at "breaking point".
Capacity levels in Tayside reached record highs last week.
Today one frontline worker tasked with caring for those fighting for their lives is exclusively telling us the mood among staff is "horrendous".
We've kept them anonymous to protect their identity.
"There's not enough staff in any of the covid wards. I finished shifts last week where there were two nurses left to look after 24 patients," they said.
"I feel more for nursing staff as it's a lot of responsibility for them. A lot of staff are at breaking point."
"I'm not one to be off sick, but I was considering going off on sick leave as the whole morale in the ward is so low, nobody's happy. There's nobody there to support you in the ways they should."
The number of coronavirus patients in the region's hospitals reached 189 last Friday, four short of initial capacity levels.
The health board has since readied a 30-bed covid ward if needed, with the expansion of covid services potentially impacting those deemed a lower priority.
The health care assistant believes the second wave of the pandemic has been far worse than the first.
"This time round it's certainly been an eye-opener for me, just seeing patients so poorly and just the whole morale. There's a lack of support for staff in the wards," they said.
"It's horrendous at this moment in time. The capacity has got really high, all the wards are full. It's not a nice place to be.
"I used to love my job. I would get up and look forward to going into work in the morning. Every shift that I'm on I dread going in as you don't know what sort of capacity you're going into. You just feel it's never going to end. Is it ever going to end?"
Latest figures show the number of coronavirus patients in Tayside's hospitals has dropped by 10 to 179.
Kathryn Brechin, Associate Nurse Director for NHS Tayside said: “The number of patients requiring hospital treatment for COVID-19 has more than trebled since the start of the year which has increased demand on our services.
“We know that our staff are working really hard in this second wave to support patient care and their wellbeing is vitally important to us. There is a wide range of wellbeing support and information available and staff are encouraged to make use of the resources on offer.
“Senior nursing teams are providing support to ward teams and patients should be reassured that there are appropriate levels of staff, including nursing and support staff, in each area.
“We know that this is a challenging time for our staff and would ask anyone who has concerns to speak to their senior charge nurse in the first instance.”