‘Petty rules on nurses’ stations seem absurd and dangerous’

The chief nursing officer for England has once again spoken out to clarify that nurses should be allowed to drink water on hospital wards during shifts.

Dame Ruth May tweeted yesterday that she had heard reports of some nursing staff being told not to drink water at nurses' stations – a counter where staff work when they are not providing direct patient care.

She said: “It’s crucial that all nursing, midwifery and care staff are able to drink water and stay hydrated during a shift at nursing stations or other convenient locations.

“This is especially important during the hot weather and as temperatures are set to rise. Equally, we need to ensure patients stay hydrated too. #BeatTheHeat”

This reminder comes as the Met Office released amber weather warnings for this weekend, which state that temperatures are likely to be in excess of 35C.

NHS Employers published guidance back in May, which reiterated that basic needs are critical for healthcare staff to do their job properly.

In the guidance it says line managers should “encourage and allow [their] staff to access and implement their basic needs, such as taking sufficient breaks and staying hydrated”.

However, in reply to Dame Ruth’s recent tweet, nurses have described instances where they have not been allowed drinks at nurses' stations.

One nurse said her trust had told her that drinking water at the nurses' station “looks unprofessional”.

Another nurse said: “We are not allowed drinks on the ward at all, masks must remain on at all times in clinical area so we have to go to staff room for a drink.”

Whereas others praised their trusts for supporting colleagues in staying hydrated, with one nurse describing how her trust encouraged ice lollies and accessible drinking stations during the hot weather.

Dame Ruth and other CNOs also used social media last summer to state the same message after a student nurse revealed that she had been banned from drinking water at the nurses' station.

At the time, temperatures were hitting extreme highs and staff were required to wear more personal protective equipment than usual due to Covid-19.

In some cases, infection control policies have been cited as reasons for not allowing drinking water at nurses' stations.

However, in the RCN’s Rest, Rehydrate, Refuel guidance, these ‘myths’ are dispelled.

The guidance said: “In the majority of circumstances, having individual labelled water bottles with lids or drinking cones/ disposable cups for staff to use will pose no risk to staff or patients.

“Being professional means following the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s code and ensuring that you are looking after your own health, ensuring it doesn’t impact on patients and modelling good health behaviours to encourage your patients to drink fluids.”

Drinking water is a natural human basic human vital necessity, as is breathing in air, the ingestion of food, elimination and a number of other biological functions. Under no circumstances, should these require anybody’s permission apart from eating a snack or a meal where a break of a certain amount of time has to be allocated. Such restrictions which do not apply to managers should also not apply to front line staff. This is 21st century nursing with a professionally autonomous workforce, not the past century or before!

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