AN NHS FIFE nurse says she is praying nothing is missed with a patient because of current staffing pressures at the Victoria Hospital.

The employee, who did not want to be named, said staffing levels were currently at "an all-time low" with nurses expected to look after between 12 and 15 patients when, she said, it was deemed safe to care for just eight normally.

"Nurses are running on empty and all management can do is put their hands up and say, 'I don’t know what to do have you got any ideas?'," the worker told the Press.

"This simply isn’t good enough and I dread every shift and pray that I don’t miss anything that could impact a patient."

Newly-qualified staff, said the employee, are feeling overwhelmed and unsupported, while taking breaks are a constant issue.

"Nurses are not getting breaks as there is no-one to provide break cover," they said. "When escalated to management, we were asked why we can’t take our break in the doctors' room so we are present on the ward. When explained this does not really constitute a break and that we don’t get paid for that hour of our 12.5 hours of our shift, we are simply told, 'We don’t have an answer'.

"It was then deemed safe for us to take our breaks in the ward day room so we are on the ward but within easy reach. So, again, an interrupted break if there are any issues.

"This is a bitter pill to swallow; as staff nurses, we always give our all, often leaving late every shift and now not even able to get a decent break when you're at work for 12.5-hour shift.

"I was also told by a charge nurse that clinical managers have advised charge nurses that we have to cut down on the number of agency and guild nurses used due to the budget. This is ludicrous given the current staffing levels."

Director of workforce Linda Douglas said staff were working "incredibly hard" during an extremely challenging time for all healthcare services.

"As is the case across all workplaces, our staffing levels have been increasingly impacted by the effects of COVID-19 and the associated absence caused by illness or the requirement to isolate," she said.

"However, whilst our services are undoubtedly coming under extreme pressure, the safety of both staff and patients remains our number one priority.

"Robust procedures are in place and enacted daily to ensure that wards or services remain safe environments and, where extra support is required, this is delivered through processes that have been developed and refined over the course of the pandemic – allowing us to be both responsive and agile. Financial cost is never prioritised over safety."

Ms Douglas stressed they valued staff and their incredible efforts to deliver services in challenging circumstances.

"Across the organisation, various initiatives are in place to support staff, including a dedicated staff listening service, peer support, and access to a wide range of information and advice through our Health and Wellbeing Hub," she added.

"NHS Fife values the feedback of staff and has established channels in place to raise any concerns about the workplace or the activities within it. We strongly encourage our staff to use these channels."