Item six: There they go!

Resolution submitted by the RCN East Dorset Branch

That this meeting of RCN Congress urges RCN Council to lobby governments to ensure that the retention of nursing staff matches service needs

Watch the debate

Report on this debate

Nurses are a valuable resource so why are so many of them leaving? Why are student attrition levels so high and why are many nurses leaving the UK to nurse elsewhere? BJ Waltho of the RCN East Dorset Branch urged Congress to lobby governments to ensure that the retention of nursing staff matches service needs. She said that nurses need to articulate the contribution they make - it's the value of nurses that's important - not the cost.

Lesley Pallett, Cornwall Branch, posed the question, "how do we retain nurses?" and went on to say we need productive workforces that encourage nurses to stay. Maria Nicholson agreed and asked employers to value the workforce as well as ensuring they retain them.

Concerns were highlighted by many delegates around posts being frozen and the rising age of the nursing workforce. Vic Thomas, Nottingham Branch, asked delegates to also take responsibility for the retention of their colleagues by acting as mentors and giving support.

BJ Waltho concluded the debate by asking that the right care be provided by the right people.

For: 392 99.49%
Against: 2 0.51%
Abstain: 1
PASSED

Background

While the UK labour market is currently generally in decline, recent reports show that health care is one of the few sectors where demand for staff continues to grow, a trend that is likely to increase with the forthcoming implementation of the EU Working Time Directive. Workforce planning data for England shows that while current supply largely meets demand, if the current commission levels for pre-registration education are maintained there will be a shortfall in registered nurses against demand in the future. Indeed, the underlying shortage issue has already been highlighted by a growing reliance on bank and agency staff in England, as well as qualified nurses who choose agency work.

The focus on delivering care outside hospitals is likely to boost further the need for nurses in primary care. Failure to grow the workforce sufficiently to support government reforms means demand is anticipated to outstrip supply in primary care sectors across the UK.

The issues underlying the impending workforce shortage are many; one-in-three nurses in the community are now aged over 50, graduate intakes have fallen, and student attrition levels (26.3% across the UK) remain high. In addition, many overseas countries (including Australia and Canada) have set up programmes to recruit UK nurses; the number of UK nurses and midwives applying for work overseas increased by 33% between 2003 and 2007.

In its evidence to the Review Body in 2008, the RCN highlighted the combined implications of an ageing nursing workforce, and the impact of high workloads and the NHS culture of long working hours on retention levels. The RCN 2007 employment survey Holding on: nurses' employment and morale in 2007 revealed that while staff turnover had reduced:

55% of NHS nurses are too busy to provide the care they would like to
5% worked in excess of contracted hours
of those leaving the NHS, 59% referred to work-life balance issues
respondents reported a reduction in job satisfaction and value.

The RCN has been active in raising awareness of the impending workforce issue, giving evidence to the House of Commons Health Select Committee on Workforce Planning, the Review Body, and the Workforce Review Team. RCN Northern Ireland has lobbied extensively on the likely impact the comprehensive spending review will have on the nursing workforce and patient care, while RCN Scotland has undertaken significant work highlighting the implications of its ageing nursing workforce. While commissioning in Wales closely matches service need, RCN Wales has highlighted concerns that workforce planning undertaken by NHS trusts does not, and is calling for a reform of national workforce planning as part of the current NHS reconfiguration.