Responding to The King's Fund's analysis highlighting the heavy toll that poverty is taking on the UK's health and NHS services, RCN Deputy Chief Nurse, Dr Nichola Ashby, said:
“Every day, nursing staff see the impact poverty has on people’s health. But despite working in every possible setting – from people’s homes to social care and emergency departments – they are often powerless to stop the root causes of poverty that lead to poor health.
“Growing health inequalities across communities are putting additional demand on nursing staff working in an already over-stretched health sector. The public health nursing workforce supports new families and young children, undertakes interventions on smoking and sexual health, gives vaccinations and carries out screenings for infections and diseases. But their roles have been decimated over the past decade with the number of health visitors working in the NHS down by more than 30%.
“Failing to tackle poverty doesn’t just cost people their health, it impacts wider society too. Inadequate preventative support increases pressures on the NHS and other vital services, costing the government more money to address in the longer term. Closing health inequalities means investing in vulnerable communities with stronger welfare support - alongside investing in the public health nursing workforce which delivers vital health interventions.”
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