The last few weeks have been a wonderful example of the breadth and scale of the work of the RCN. Last week, I had the honour of meeting a very special visitor at RCN HQ, our Royal Patron His Majesty King Charles III. His Majesty met cadets from across the UK, including the 1000th to progress through the programme.
His Majesty’s visit was also a chance to celebrate the rebranding of our Prince of Wales Nursing Cadet Scheme to the King’s Nursing Cadets. I am a strong advocate of the programme’s aims - it is an amazing opportunity for young people to gain the skills and knowledge to support them towards a career in nursing. I know that Nicola also spoke last week at a celebratory event for the Health Care Careers for Displaced People Scheme Pilot - another scheme that has presented its participants with great opportunities.
These different pathways into nursing are so important, particularly given the new report the RCN has launched today on the domestic nursing pipeline in England. The report shows that recruits are leaving at every stage between applications to university and early career nursing.
It’s a really worrying situation that shows new and significant investment in nurse education is needed to boost recruitment. The RCN’s recommendations for retaining nursing staff, including a loan forgiveness scheme, need to be considered ahead of workforce and 10-year plans for the NHS and the Comprehensive Spending Review later this year.
Last week I also attended my first Joint Representatives Spring Conference, in Bristol. It was great to meet many reps on the day, and I was struck by the knowledge in the room and the breadth of the work that our reps cover.
The conference theme was corridor care, something which like other nursing professionals, I have direct experience of. As I told the conference, we will continue to raise the impact of corridor care to ensure there is urgent action. And this is where our members and our reps can help – your experiences and your voices are so important in raising concerns locally. If you are interested in becoming a rep, you can find out more here.
The abolition of NHS England announced last week cannot be a distraction for the government which must not lose sight of the public’s priorities. As the largest workforce in the NHS, delivering the vast majority of care, it is vital nursing expertise is heard at the top table of government.
The NHS Staff Survey results from last week are a prime example of why that needs to happen. I was horrified to understand that over a third of respondents have experienced bullying, harassment or abuse at work from patients, their relatives or other members of the public. This is completely unacceptable and something I raised at the roundtable with the Health Secretary last month.
I know that this is on the Congress agenda, and I am looking forward to seeing many of you there for these important debates.
Pathways into nursing: recruitment and retention
RCN President Bejoy Sebastian reflects on a visit from His Majesty King Charles III and the RCN’s new report into recruitment and retention.
Bejoy Sebastian
RCN President
Bejoy Sebastian is a senior nurse working in critical care at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has previously held a number of positions at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Hailing from Kerala, he arrived in the UK in March 2011 after finishing his nursing studies at Kottayam Medical College.
He was the Chair of the International Nursing and Midwifery Association network UK, where he has raised the profile of internationally educated nursing staff, helping them thrive in their careers and identifying the barriers they face in the workplace. He was also the founding General Secretary of the Alliance of Senior Kerala Nurses. He is an active volunteer for DKMS and with the help of Upahaar UK has organised numerous stem cell donor registration drives from global majority backgrounds to reduce the health inequities faced by them.
He began his role as RCN President in January 2025 and will serve for two years.
Page last updated - 21/03/2025
