Responding to the Labour Party's six pledges for the general election, which include delivering 40,000 additional NHS appointments, Professor Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive said:
“Central to this NHS pledge has to be a commitment to more nurses and better conditions for them. A deliverable plan on waiting lists and round-the-clock services relies on enough staff, who feel valued and able to give high-quality care.
“Like the pledge on teachers, the public will expect to see similar for NHS staff and nursing. The health service is officially missing tens of thousands of registered nurses right now.
“In today’s NHS, pressures on staff mean almost nine in 10 nurses worked when they were ill to plug gaps in rotas and hold services together. That same depleted workforce cannot simply be expected to keep doing more."
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