Nurse says professional morale at 'heartbreaking' low

A ward sister, involved in nursing for nearly 30 years, claims "heartbreaking" levels of low morale are driving staff out of the profession.

The woman, who works in the Welsh NHS, said an erosion of trust had led to greater verbal abuse from patients' relatives.

She blamed increasing work pressures and high-profile controversies within the health service.

Speaking anonymously,* she said: "It's really affected my team. A few weeks ago one of my excellent staff nurses said for the first time she was ashamed to put her uniform on… it was heart-breaking."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said they valued the "essential" work done by nurses and were therefore spending an extra £10 million improving nurse staffing levels.

The spokesman added that despite recognised "pressures" on the health service, patient feedback continued to indicate "high levels of satisfaction and appreciation of the care provided by nurses."

*The nurse's words were spoken by an actress for BBC Radio 5 live's Afternoon Edition.