Closed petition David Cameron: Make the legal qualified nurse:patient ratios no more than 1:6

Closed on 28 December 2013

A large proportion of nurses employed by the NHS today find themselves assigned to look after and ensure the safety of any number of patients. There are no current regulations in this country.
This can mean 'caring' for 10 to even 20 patients for a twelve hour shift on a regular basis. This puts members of the public at risk and is the biggest reason for compromised patient care.

Nurses cannot effectively and safely care for more than six patients at a time. Much has been said recently in the media about poor care of vulnerable people who have to spend time as patients in hospital. The focus is often on nurses said to be lacking in compassion, when actually one nurse often has to look after and be responsible for the care of as many as 20 patients, not even taking into account how sick they may be or how complex their care is.

The stress put on the nurse is also unfair and contributes to the poor health of these professionals who deserve better working conditions.