Nearly two thirds, or 63%, of nurses in the UK reported that work pressure was a significant factor negatively affecting their mental wellbeing while 50% say increasing work pressures were contributing to mental health conditions through place of work, according to a survey from Randstad UK.

Randstad’s survey also found that 21% of nurses in the UK describe their mental state as ‘poor’. Meanwhile, Randstad also found that, while gender makes little difference to wellbeing (women: 21%; men: 20%), age does.  Half of 26-30-year-old nurses described their mental health as ‘poor’.

The research, based on a poll of 300 nurses across the UK, suggested different contracts made a difference. A quarter, or 25%, of nurses working in permanent positions said they would describe their mental wellbeing as “poor” compared to 13% doing shift work.

Three in every ten nurses (30%) report that their mental health is deteriorating.  The situation is worse for women than men, with 31% of women reporting their mental health had deteriorated over the last year, compared to a quarter (25%) of men.  Worst affected were full-time permanent nurses, more than a third (35%) said their mental health was deteriorating.

The majority, or 82%, said their employer does not do enough to support them.

Victoria Short, managing director of Randstad, said: “Nurses are suffering from care-giver fatigue.  The risk of getting depression from your job is raised if you work outside the typical 9-to-5, as many nurses do – people who work irregular hours or night shifts are 33% more likely to have depression.” 

“Not only do nurses work anti-social hours, the work-related stress they operate under is intense,” Short said. “We need to be supporting them, not piling more work and responsibility on their shoulders.  We need a comprehensive strategy to reduce work-induced burnout and improve the mental health of our nurses.  An energised, engaged, and resilient nursing workforce is essential to achieving the UK’s national health goals.”

One in six (17%) of nurses said they were planning to leave the profession in the next 12 months due to work-related mental wellbeing (another 11% said they’d leave but for different reasons). 

“Rather than leaving the sector altogether, it would be better if we could persuade more permanent nurses to consider flexible working to relieve the pressure,” Short said.