RCN supports calls to reduce preventable deaths

Published: 06 March 2013

The Royal College of Nursing has responded to the Health Secretary’s call to reduce preventable mortality.

The call came following the publication of a major report showing the UK’s health performance is behind many of its global counterparts.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said: “Seeing the UK’s health performance compared internationally shows that there is still a lot of work to be done to improve public health, and we hope that this call to action will help spark improvements.

“We look forward to being closely involved in this debate due to the vital role nurses play in improving public health. The call to action mentioned the importance of preventative work, and this is an area where our members make a real difference, and have been making some innovative improvements.”

He added: “We also support the call for health professionals to make every contact with patients count, and we hope that this is accompanied by action to provide frontline staff with enough time and resources to diagnose and treat problems as early as possible.”