“Health leaders are deeply concerned about its ability to cope

with demand, despite frontline staff treating more patients

than ever.
“There is the very real prospect of gaps in clinical shifts and
patients not receiving the quality of care they need because
NHS trusts do not have the staff they need.”
“Despite doing everything within their power, 90% of health
leaders we surveyed said that understaffing was putting
patients at risk.
“We have 100,000 clinical vacancies [in England] and the
prospect of ever-rising demand unless we face up to the scale
of the challenge,” added Dickson.
Last week’s figures showed that one in four people who attend
a hospital-based A&E are waiting more than four hours to be
dealt with, record numbers are having to wait on a trolley
while they are found a bed and seven of the eight clinically
vital cancer treatment targets are being missed.
Dickson added that, even if the next government provided
more money to tackle widespread staff shortages, it would
take time to reduce the high vacancy rates that are common in
many hospitals. The NHS is short of about 43,000 nurses and
almost 10,000 doctors as well as paramedics and other health
professionals.
He warned political parties not to raise voters’ expectations
unreasonably in the run-up to polling on 12 December about
how quickly the NHS can get back on track.
“More investment is needed but even with that this is a system
that will take time to turn around and the electorate must not
be fed with overpromises over the coming weeks,” he said.
The King’s Fund voiced concern at the results of the research.
“Amidst the political rhetoric of the general election
campaign, these findings underline the stark reality facing
patients across the country who are struggling to access NHS
services,” said Sally Warren, the thinktank’s director of policy.
“Workforce shortages are already having a direct impact on
the quality of people’s care, with national patient surveys
repeatedly highlighting difficulties for patients accessing NHS
services and performance against key waiting time targets at
their worst in over a decade.
“These NHS leaders are correct – without urgent action
patient safety will be at risk.”
The confederation’s survey of 131 hospital bosses also found
that:
76% say staff shortages are the NHS’s most pressing
problem.
83% say the dispute over senior doctors’ pensions is
making understaffing even worse.
69% say doctors deciding to work fewer hours is
damaging patient care.
98% say the deepening crisis in social care is leading
to more older people needing hospital care.