NHS presenteeism: do you feel pressure to ‘soldier on’ when ill?

Nurses reveal what makes them struggle into work even when they feel unwell, and how they fear backlash from employers if they take time off sick

• Nurse survey results – find out what our readers tell us about going to work when they should be reporting in sick
• Mental ill health, migraine, menopause symptoms and even broken bones are not enough to keep worried staff at home
• Sickness absence: nurses’ fears for patient safety and the impact on colleagues thanks to short-staffing in the NHS

Four out of five (80%) nurses have gone to work in the past two years despite feeling too unwell to do so, a Nursing Standard survey suggests.