RCN Response to ippr's The Future Hospital report
Published: 28 August 2007
Janet Davies, Royal College of Nursing Executive Director for Service Delivery, said: “This report is an important contribution to the debate on reconfiguration of the health service and it highlights the importance of involving the public, NHS staff and unions in this process.
“The Royal College of Nursing has always supported the principle of moving care from the acute sector to the community. However, before local hospitals are closed it is vital that there are the facilities, infastructure and staff in place in the community to cope with these changes. NHS staff working in the community are working flat out. To ask them to take on even more work without increasing both staff numbers and investment risks leaving them at breaking point.
“The reason nurses and patients have taken to the streets to protest about cuts to local services is because they recognise the value of these services and realise that they do save lives.
“The RCN is not against change in the health service, provided those changes are well-thought out and based on sound clinical decisions, and not driven by cost-cutting.
“Having good local healthcare services and specialist centres are not mutually exclusive. They are two sides of the same coin and we need both working together alongside each other to ensure patients get the very best care.”
Notes to Editors
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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.