Background: Research into the effect of working long shifts in mental health care had not been carried out before. Research into long shifts in other settings had mixed findings regarding fatigue and job satisfaction for nursing staff and quality of care for patients; evidence indicated that safety is reduced when long shifts are used.
Aim: This research explored the experience of nurses, student nurses and support workers working long shifts in mental health settings and the factors they perceived influenced their wellbeing and patient care when working long shifts.
Method: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 17 nursing staff who worked in inpatient mental health settings. Nursing staff were recruited through social media. Under a pragmatic paradigm framework analysis was used to explore the data.
Results: Five categories emerged: ‘being present and being absent’; ‘using up personal resources’; ‘getting rest and why it can be difficult’; ‘being part of a team’ and ‘getting the most out of time off’.
Conclusion: The duration of emotional labour and restricted time to recover between long shifts created high levels of job demand, impacting nursing staff and patients. Job demand was buffered by job control factors, such as sufficient: breaks, handover, staff mix and regular shift pattern. Social support buffered job demand with cohesive teams providing practical and emotional support for nursing staff working long shifts.
