The vast majority of nurses and midwives feel that work is negatively impacting their mental health, with many feeling burnt out as a result, a new survey has revealed.

According to the findings, which have been published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), 94% of nurses and midwives feel that work is negatively impacting their psychological wellbeing, while 89% feel at least somewhat burnt out because of work.

Some 53% said that work had also impacted their physical health.

When it came to safe staffing, 85% said current staffing levels could not meet work demands, with 66% warning that patient safety was often or always put at risk as a result.

Some 86% said they had raised concerns about short staffing with their manager or organisation, however 44% of these were unsure if their concerns had even been recorded.

The survey also found that 74% of nurses and midwives had considered leaving their work area over the last month. Of these, 30% said this was due to work-related stress, 25% said they were exhausted and 15% felt undervalued. Some 65% said they had worked when they should have taken annual leave over the last 12 months.

Meanwhile, 64% of nurses and midwives said that they had experienced aggressive behaviour in the workplace.

The results of the survey were described as “very stark” by INMO president, Karen McGowan, who pointed out that “there has been no opportunity for nurses and midwives to regain a stable footing since 2019, as it’s just been crisis after crisis in the health service since then”.

“A pandemic that was bookended by absolutely staggering levels of overcrowding means there’s been no recovery time at all. This type of sustained stress over years and years has an absolutely crushing and traumatic effect on people, and these are the same people who are being asked to step up again and again to fill in the gaps. It’s just not sustainable,” she insisted.

Ms McGowan said that as a society, there is now more awareness around the importance of protecting people’s mental health, “except it seems when it comes to people who work in healthcare”.

“Our members are just not being protected from the long-term physical and psychological effects of stress,” she added.

Also commenting on the findings, INMO general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, warned that the stress and burnout experienced by nurses and midwives has a knock-on effect on the entire health service.

“Almost three out of four of the nurses and midwives who responded to this survey have considered leaving their current work area. That means the fate of the entire health service is dependent on those people deciding to stick it out for another month or another year, whatever they feel they can do,” she explained.

However, in the meantime, current staff shortages are adversely impacting patients.

“The vast majority of nurses and midwives are saying that staffing levels in their workplace cannot meet work demands, with a significant impact on patient safety. At that rate you have to consider that unsafe staffing has become the norm and that hospitals are not safe for patients on any day of the year.

“A failure to legislate on safe staffing is putting nurses and their patients at very serious risk. Action needs to be taken to address this once and for all,” Ms Ní Sheaghdha warned.

The results of the survey were published to coincide with the INMO annual delegate conference, which is taking place in Kerry from May 3-5.