Exclusive: Short-staffing pressure threatens nurses’ well-being, survey shows

Nurses’ well-being is threatened by staff shortages that result in many regularly working shifts without time to take a break or even eat or drink anything, a Nursing Standard survey shows

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• MPs want assurances on nurses being given time for handovers and breaks
• Workplace cultures blamed for variations in breaks and hydration
• Schwartz rounds seen as one way to help ease stress on staff

Nurses are regularly struggling to find time to take breaks, eat or even have a drink of water during shifts, which is having a major impact on their well-being, a survey by Nursing Standard shows.

The scale of the problem was starkly illustrated by the survey, which drew responses from nearly 2,000