Students respond to RCN opposition of health bill

Published: 01 February 2012

The RCN has taken the significant step of publicly opposing the Health and Social Care Bill after the Government failed to address serious concerns expressed by nursing staff.

Stuart Young, student member of the RCN’s governing Council, said it was a difficult but necessary decision for the College to make. "The RCN has tried to work with the Government to seek changes to the bill but there a number of key concerns that have simply not been addressed," he said. "As nursing students we need to put the needs of our patients first and the bill as it stands will not to do that."

Among the RCN’s biggest reservations about the legislation is that it promotes competition in the health service to the possible detriment of patient care. Earlier this year a revision to the bill was announced that would allow NHS hospitals in England to use half their beds and theatre time for private patients. This, as well as a refusal to mandate safe staff levels and introduce mandatory regulation for health care assistants, was the final straw for the RCN.

"This official opposition shows the strength of feeling in the nursing world," said first-year nursing student Gary Stockwell. "You can tell on placement that people aren’t happy with what is happening. This highlights to the Government that they need to go back and take another look at the legislation."

RCN Students were among thousands who took to the streets last year to campaign against the threat posed by planned changes to the NHS and cuts that are threatening patient care. A group of nursing students at Kings College London have been particularly passionate in expressing their view.

Second-year student Rebecca Newman is among them. She said: "We know that the NHS needs to adapt to the current needs of society but organisational change can occur without the introduction of health care for profit. As student nurses, we want to work for a publicly run and publicly accountable national health service. We do not want to face a lottery of private providers of varying quality. The future of the NHS is our future – as nurses and as patients – and it’s time to stand up and be counted."

Further information

Read an article (PDF 130KB) [see how to access PDF files] written by Rebecca and her fellow student Sophie Conway Allen on why they are opposed to the health bill. See more on this story in the news section of the RCN website.