THERE are not enough NHS staff to ensure safe care for maternity patients or those recovering from injury or illness, according to a poll of nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants.

Respondents to the Unison survey, from 1,470 shifts at 42 hospitals in Britain, said that staff were short on 69 per cent of shifts, up from 63 per cent two years ago.

Workers reported that the most serious safety concerns were on maternity wards and in units supporting recovery or elderly care, where over 80 per cent said care was compromised.