RCN calls attention to nursing paperwork ‘overload’

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called on the government to take action to tackle the excess bureaucracy that is preventing NHS nursing staff from operating efficiently.

An ICM survey carried out on behalf of the RCN has revealed that UK nurses spend an estimated 2.5 million hours a week on non-essential paperwork and clerical tasks, with the majority of respondents saying this figure has increased in the last two years.

Moreover, in excess of three-quarters of those polled believe that having to complete this paperwork is preventing them from providing direct patient care, with many suggesting that technology – when deployed improperly – can increase workloads, rather than lightening them.

RCN chief executive and general secretary Dr Peter Carter said: "We need a smart, efficient and IT-savvy NHS, not a halfway house that actually impedes the work of staff and takes them away from patients."

This week, the college also suggested that understaffing is a major issue within NHS nursing, a matter that is further jeopardising care quality standards.