Picture credit: Press Association

The college also warned that nurses could burn out and patient safety may be compromised if local staffing plans fail to take into account the numbers of registered nurses available to deliver safe care.

RCN England director Mike Adams said front-line nursing teams were already overstretched as the NHS moved into the highest level of emergency preparation.

‘We already know that front-line nurses in hospitals, communities and care homes are under huge strain, and we’re hearing that in some hospitals they are becoming increasingly thinly spread on the ground, as staff become unwell or have to isolate at the same time as demand on services continues to increase,’ he said.

‘The government says nurses have been given extra training to provide more critical care staff to treat COVID-19 patients but there simply aren’t enough to go round.’

He added that nursing staff must be supported to raise concerns about staffing levels and patient safety, with those concerns acted on properly.

‘It is essential that learning is applied to planning for this winter, including what services can be delivered safely with the workforce available,’ he said.

There are about 40,000 registered nursing vacancies in England alone.

The RCN said these shortages are being felt across all areas of nursing, including critical care, cancer services and community nursing, and sickness absence due to COVID-19 will exacerbate this.

The Department for Health and Social Care was contacted for a response.