Nurses forced to work 12-hour shifts amid staff shortages are treated like 'slave labour', a union has claimed. With a growing demand for nurses to work long hours, Unison has called for more research into the effects of workers' health. At the union's healthcare conference in Liverpool this week, one member highlighted how staff at a hospital in Staffordshire are expected to work six long days a week, totalling up to 78 hours a week. Jane Smith told colleagues: 'The fact staff are so tired has a detrimental effect on patient care and (also) puts other staff at risk.' Nurses working 12-hour shifts amid staffing shortages in the NHS are treated like 'slave labour', one Unison member has warned, as she called for more research into how longer working hours affect staff health . She said she was aware of one nurse who had worked 11 consecutive long day shifts, the Nursing Times reported. In a stretched NHS, longer shifts are now more common, offering a cost-effective strategy. In the past the working day was divided into three, eight-hour shifts - the norm for nursing shifts for many years. But, as in many other industries, a move towards two longer shifts per day is now more common. The theory is the shift pattern offers greater cost effectiveness for the NHS, in the form of fewer handovers, deemed unproductive. And for staff the change offers a better work-life balance, in the form of more days off, it has been argued. But Ms Smith likened long shifts to 'slave labour', warning staff are falling sick due to exhaustion. 'The fact staff are so tired has a detrimental effect on patient care and not only compromises their own health but puts other staff at risk,' she said. 'There is a case for saying there is a better way [of organising shift work]' A motion calling for Unison to investigate the health impact of long shifts on nurses was passed at the conference. It comes as the Royal College of Nursing this week revealed, in their final report before next month's General Election, that despite a rise in the total number of nurses since 2010, 'the reality on the ground is that there are fewer nurses, providing more care'. Their Fragile Frontline report said the total number of posts in the last five years has risen by 6,434, but warned 'the true picture is less positive'. The increase in total nursing workforce, excluding midwives, health visitors and school nurses, is only 1,470. While the number of FTE posts has increased, the number of people filling those posts has fallen by 1,845, meaning that fewer nurses are providing more care. Dr Peter Carter, RCN chief executive and general secretary, said: 'We warned that cutting the workforce numbers to fund the NHS reorganisation and to find the efficiency savings was the wrong course to take. 'The cuts were so severe that we are only just catching up with where we were five years ago. 'Many areas, like district nursing and mental health, are even worse off. 'While the health service has spent the last five years running on the spot, demand has continued to increase. A recent study by a team at the University of Southampton found nurses who worked longer hours were more likely to suffer 'fatigue and decreased levels of alertness, potentially resulting in more adverse effects' 'Whoever forms the next Government must learn from this report and take immediate action to grow the nursing workforce, and ensure it can keep up with demand with a sustainable and long-term plan.' Ms Smith said the tendency towards longer shifts increases 'the potential for accidents to occur'. Her warnings reflect the findings of a study, published last November, that warned nurses working 12 hours or longer were more likely to report poor patient care. The study, carried out by a team at the University of Southampton, considered the views of 31,627 nurses in 488 hospitals across 12 European countries. Researchers found half of those questioned worked shifts less than or equal to eight hours, while 15 per cent worked 12 hours or longer. The authors said: 'Nurses working for 12 hours or longer were more likely to report poor or failing patient safety, poor or fair quality of care, and more care activities left undone. 'Working overtime was also associated with reports of poor or failing patient safety, poor or fair quality of care, and more care left undone.' In addition the research revealed that nurses who worked longer hours were more likely to suffer 'fatigue and decreased levels of alertness, potentially resulting in more adverse effects'. The authors added: 'The degree to which nurses are subsidising health services through unpaid overtime and the impact of long hours and overtime on burnout have implications for both the costs and the effectiveness of extended shifts.' At the Unison conference, research associate Chiara Dall'Ora, who took part in the research at Southampton, said recent figures showed 35 per cent of UK nurses reported working 12-hour shifts.
Unison member said tired staff have 'detrimental effect on patient care'
Jane Smith likened longer working hours for NHS staff to 'slave labour'
Called for more research to examine the impact on workers' health .