Responding to the general election result, RCN Acting General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“Outside Downing Street, Keir Starmer rightly acknowledged the insecurity felt by nursing staff - our profession was the top of his list. From day one, he must deliver a reset in relations with health and care services, the people who work in them and their professional representatives. We will act as partners in finding constructive solutions.
“With backing and investment from his government, nursing staff can get the health service ‘back on its feet’. At present, patients are suffering in corridors and dying alone due to dangerously high nursing shortages.
“Today is the NHS’ birthday – celebrations might be muted but we can reflect on the year ahead. New impetus and investment are needed to rescue the Long Term Workforce Plan, including with government-funded nursing degrees.
“Our members went to polling booths without having received a pay offer for this year and it is unreasonable to make them wait any longer. One of the first acts from the new government must be to announce an NHS pay award – fair pay is an important tool in retaining more nursing staff in services at a time of widespread vacancies.
“In the interests of patient safety, the new government should introduce safety-critical limits on the maximum number of patients a nurse is responsible for and implement forced reporting of care in corridors.”
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