INCREASING numbers of nurses are being driven to thoughts of suicide through pressures at work, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union has warned.

In a new report published today, the RCN cited workload, bullying and harassment and a lack of work-life balance as being among the “extreme pressures” driving suicidal thoughts.

The union is demanding NHS bosses reduce work pressures on nurses, and called on them to “create compassionate workplaces as the bedrock of quality care.”