Letter: Frustration and hypocrisy in the NHS
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.YOUR LEADING article (31 January) was spot on. Morale is low among nurses - and, indeed, doctors and others in the caring professions - for two main reasons.
The first is that they are not "valued". Their opinions and advice are ignored by management; and they are abused by patients. This is not helped by the popular press which exaggerates any error and castigates the (perceived) culprit when the real cause may lie in "the system".
The second, and more important, reason is a sense of frustration. All professionals are trained to try to attain perfection. Of course, this cannot always be achieved; but when they are constantly being asked to do more with less (staff and resources), they know they are delivering a service that falls short not only of their aspirations, but of what the patient is entitled to expect. This frustration is fuelled by the hypocrisy of management's call for "quality" while instigating cuts.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments