RCN calls for end to yo-yo workforce planning
Published: 24 August 2007
Commenting on the House of Commons' Health Select Committee report on Workforce Planning out today, Dr Peter Carter, General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said: “Thisreport confirms what the RCN has been saying all along - that the government's workforce planning isfailing patients, staff and the NHS.
“Despite a welcome increase in nurse numbers since 1997, the absence of any clear long-term strategy for managing the workforce means wenow have a situation in which nurses and other members of the NHS Team are losing their jobs. At the same time we are seeing staff shortages and newly qualified students who are unable to find jobs or are being asked to work for free.
“Yo-yo workforce planning, combined with the impact of financial deficits, means that patients are paying the price through longer waits for treatment and cuts to services.The RCN istherefore calling forthe government to work with frontline staff to develop and implementa coherent workforce planning strategyacross the UK.”
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Notes for 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.