Campaigners have called for more nursing roles to be created on geriatric wards, after it was revealed that nurses care for more than 11 patients at a time.

That's according to a report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which warns that the shortage of experienced, well-trained staff means that strokes and other sudden health problems that affect elderly patients are missed. It has called for more nurses to be employed for geriatric care, a strategy which would lead to an accompanying increase in nurse manager jobs throughout the NHS.

The RCN revealed that a third of staff on wards that care for older people are registered nurses. The other two-thirds of staff are 'healthcare assistants'; unqualified workers who carry out basic care tasks such as feeding, taking temperatures, washing patients and changing beds.

"Elderly patients are often more dependent and have more complex conditions," explained Howard Catton, head of policy at the RCN. "It's very important to have the right mix of staff. Nurses are able to spot when patients suddenly deteriorate, for example when they are having a stroke."

"It's very important that there are enough nurses to spend time with patients and establish their home situation, whether they live on their own," Mr Catton added.

As reported by The Daily Mail, the RCN warns that healthcare assistants haven't had the basic three year's training that nurses have undergone, and as a result lack sufficient experience or medical skills to spot life-threatening conditions.

It's thought that healthcare assistants aren't as able as nurses to identify the early warning signs of strokes, pneumonia and other illnesses. Furthermore, they haven't had sufficient training to spot the symptoms of dehydration and malnutrition.

"Despite older people being the largest patient group in the NHS, this report shows that geriatric wards are often under-resourced, which can compromise even basic patient care," explained Michelle Mitchell, charity director of Age UK.

"Inevitably, the majority of us rely on the NHS more at the beginning and later stages of our live and it is vital the system, including staffing levels, reflects this need."