One of Jersey’s main nursing unions has called for “action” after a politician raised concerns that hospital staff were working through the night without a break.
Following queries from Express, the Royal College of Nursing said it is “unacceptable” for staff to be working without adequate rest breaks.
It comes after Deputy Catherine Curtis raised concerns in the States Assembly that hospital staff were not getting their legally required minimum rest breaks and uninterrupted rest periods.
She said that some hospital staff were working night shifts without breaks, and others were working 14 consecutive days without any time off.
Break facilities in current hospital are “not ideal”
In response, Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham said it is management’s responsibility to ensure that any rosters changes do not break rules in relation to breaks and rest periods.
He said: “I would say that there may be occasions where we have a single-handed medic covering a night shift, and this makes ensuring breaks within shift more difficult to manage, but the operational teams will agree on how the in-shift breaks are managed to ensure the relevant breaks are taken.”
The Chief Minister added that the States Employment Board was “not aware of any situations where the breaks are not being managed or taken” – adding that they “don’t believe there is a problem there”.
During the same States sitting, Deputy Farnham acknowledged that facilities for rest breaks at the hospital are “not ideal”.
“I’m not sure that too many facilities are that fit-for-purpose in our existing hospital anymore,” he said.
“It’s not ideal in the current condition.”
Staff breaks “important for morale and patient safety”
Following queries from Express, Royal College of Nursing senior regional officer Sam Crooks said it is “unacceptable” for staff to be working without adequate rest breaks.
“Health and safety in the workplace is critical and ensuring staff take regular breaks is important for morale and patient safety,” he said.
“It’s helpful that this issue has been raised by Deputy Curtis as hopefully action will now be taken to investigate the reasons why this is happening.
“The Royal College of Nursing is happy to work alongside the States to explore where the problems are and what the solutions might be.”
He added: “Poor facilities are not conducive to resting properly nor does a worn down staff room help with staff morale.
“Staff should feel supported and valued; it may seem like a small detail but proper access to a clean, well-maintained rest area with access to drinking water is the absolute minimum staff should expect.”
Dpeuty Curtis said that, since the States sitting, Health Minister Tom Binet has offered to look into the issue more.
States Employment Board Vice Chair Malcolm Ferey is also following up the issue of no breaks, she added.
Management “not prioritising” health and wellbeing
It comes 18 months after a midwifery union raised the alarm about persistent “poor culture”, retention issues, and staff being unable to take breaks in 13-hour shifts.
The concerns were raised in a letter penned by Royal College of Midwives director Julie Richards at the end of 2023.
She described an “unfair allocation of workload, with the same staff being allotted the highest risk cases”, and a “perception among staff that maternity management are not prioritising their health and wellbeing”.
“When staff have raised issues, they have been advised to be more resilient,” she wrote.
Ms Richards also cited a survey of union members which revealed that midwives have been left unable to take any breaks when working 13.5-hour day shifts and 11.5-hour night shifts.
When contacted by Express this week, Jersey’s other nursing union Unite said its members had not raised any concerns regarding staff breaks.
“Breaches in the law regarding rest breaks would not be tolerated by Unite,” the union added in a statement.