Act now to secure the nursing care of the future - RCN
Published: 26 August 2009
Nursing values of care, compassion and empathy will be as important to patients in the future as technological and scientific breakthroughs, the RCN said today (26 August). With a shortage of nurses imminent, nursing must be a profession which people feel inspired to join and in which they are supported to deliver quality care.
That was the main message delivered as the RCN responded to the Prime Minister's Commission on Nursing and Midwifery. The response points to several areas which need to be built on to deliver the government's commitments to high quality services. Nurses must be able to influence and lead the direction of patient care, whether it is delivering care directly or commissioning services. The transferrable skills of nurses must be used across the entire sector, from acute hospitals to community services.
Janet Davies, Executive Director of Nursing and Service Delivery for the RCN, said:
"Around 70 per cent of healthcare is delivered by nurses and they must be at the forefront of delivering services in the future. The NHS was built on care, compassion and empathy. These are nursing values. Patients are increasingly savvy about their own health, and we need a cultural change to reflect their needs. If you are admitted to hospital or need treatment, you need to know that there are skilled nurses at all levels who can advise you whatever your condition."
The RCN's response includes the following recommendations:
• nursing must be promoted as a life-long career, with extensive opportunities to develop skills, and encouragement for school leavers and mature students to enter the all-graduate profession from 2015
• the support and development of ward sisters and community leaders must be a priority
• Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) need to be regulated alongside nurses
• there should be a Director of Nursing on every health organisation's board
• there must be appropriate staffing levels and mixture of skills, and the nursing contribution must be recognised and valued for the difference it makes.
Janet Davies continued:
"In the health service of the future, high quality care will continue to be as important as medical breakthroughs, therefore we will need nurses who can use their skills in all settings from acute hospitals to community settings.
"Ultimately nurses want to offer the best possible care to patients. The RCN submissions reflect the ideas as well as the frustrations of nurses up and down the UK. In order to deliver high quality nursing care, we need a good mixture of skills, nursing leadership and, above all, enough well trained nurses to do the job."
The Commission, which was established in March, aims to advise the government on the current state of nursing and future strategy. The RCN's submissions cover five themes: quality and innovation, helping and hindering forces, a new vision for nursing and midwifery, workforce and leadership and the socioeconomic case for nursing.
Ends
Notes for Editors
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing is a member of the Prime Minister's Nursing Commission. Commissioners including Dr Carter will review all responses and deliver a report of recommendations.
For more information about the Nursing Commission, please see http://cnm.independent.gov.uk
For copies of the submissions, further information, interviews or illustrations please contact -
RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.