Responding to the Liberal Democrat's 2024 manifesto, RCN Acting General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“There is a national emergency in our hospitals and a crisis of access in social care. Nursing staff will be pleased to see that recognised today.
“Improving access to outside hospital services is the right commitment, but the sums offered fall far short. Any meaningful expansion will require more than the £8bn extra promised each year. Overstretched nursing staff need reassuring that they are not being asked to do even more with less.
“Across NHS services, thousands of staff walk away from their jobs each year and it is vital to improve retention. Whilst a new, independent pay review body is a genuine commitment, nursing staff are still waiting for a pay rise due 3 months ago. Political parties should not shy away from doing the right thing now and it is disappointing to see no firm commitment.
“In social care, a workforce plan is long overdue, as is raising the minimum wage for care workers. However, there is too little funding to deliver this alongside expanding personal care, meaning one or both will not be delivered in full.
“Migrant nursing staff across health and care will be pleased to see pledges to roll back elements of hostile immigration policy including the ban on bringing dependents and the immigration skills charge. The RCN has long demanded that these pernicious measures be scrapped in their entirety.”
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