RCN calls for an Executive Nurse Director on every PCT board

Published: 07 April 2009

All English NHS primary care trusts must ensure they have an Executive Director of Nursing on their governing boards, says the Royal College of Nursing.

The comments follow the release of an RCN survey which confirms that one in four primary care trusts do not have nurse representation at the highest level, despite Department of Health recommendations that this should be happening.

The RCN has written to all non-compliant trusts requesting that they reconsider their positions as a matter of urgency. The RCN says that the positions should be full time, with full voting and attendance rights on primary care trust boards.

RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, Dr Peter Cater says:

"Nurses spend more time with patients than any other health professional, so it makes sense for them to be a key part of the decisions which impact on the care that patients receive. Patient safety and dignity is a priority for patients and Executive Directors of Nursing, which is why it's essential that there is strong nurse leadership at board level. This is particularly important when there are trusts who focus on hitting financial targets at the expense of quality patient care".

Dr Carter says that nurses are often the first to identify where things are going wrong and adds:

"By failing to give them proper representation at the board table, these trusts are missing out on valuable expertise that could help nip any problems in the bud."

The RCN undertook a survey of all primary care trusts in England in March 2009. The survey assessed whether trusts had an Executive Director of Nursing on their board with full voting rights and results were obtained for all 152 trusts across every region of England.