NHS sleepwalking into crisis - RCN
Published: 16 November 2012
Strictly embargoed until: 00.01 13 November 2012
NHS sleepwalking into crisis - RCN
The Royal College of Nursing today (13 November) warned that the NHS in England is sleepwalking into a crisis, as the number of nurses continues to be slashed, despite Government promises to protect the frontline and the growing health demands of the public. The RCN is calling on the Government to take immediate action to stop Trusts cutting vital posts and services for financial reasons.
At the halfway point in the Coalition Government, the RCN’s Frontline First campaign has identified more than 61,000 posts across the NHS in England that are now at risk or have been axed – up from 55,000 just six months ago – increasingly jeopardising patient care. Official figures from the NHS Information Centre also reveal that the NHS workforce has fallen by almost 21,000 since the Coalition Government came to power. This includes a loss of more than 6,000 qualified nursing posts. In contrast, in the same period, the number of doctors increased by more than 7,000.
The effect of the nursing cuts is magnified by the reduction in the number of nursing places commissioned by universities in England. Numbers declined by nearly five percent (4.6 percent) in 2012-13 after already falling by almost 10 percent (9.4 percent) the previous year. In London, there have been reports of the city losing up to 21 percent of adult nursing training places. The RCN is urging the new body for education and training, Health Education England, to act now to ensure the profession is fit for the future, while at the same time calling for the Government to step in to prevent deeper cuts to the health service.
RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, Dr Peter Carter, said:
“For the past two and a half years, the Government’s consistent rhetoric has been that frontline posts and services are being protected. Sadly, that is simply not the case. Ten of thousands of posts have gone and cuts are a now common occurrence on the ground, hitting jobs and services that patients rely on. Nursing is not being protected in the same way as some other clinical professions, with posts and training places often cut for purely financial reasons. We believe all clinical professions should be afforded equal protection. Currently, the nursing supply line is being choked and given the importance of nursing to provide high quality care, this has worrying implications for patients. Indeed, if this current trend continues, we fear the worst for patient care in this country.”
These cuts come at a time when huge strain is being placed on the health service, amid a backdrop of an ageing population, often with complex long term conditions. According to projections by the Office for National Statistics (2011), the percentage of the UK’s population over 60 is expected to rise from 22.6 percent in 2010 to 28.5 percent in 2035. In addition, the number of people with long term conditions has increased rapidly in the last few years. For example, between 2006-7 and 2010-11, the number of people affected by chronic kidney disease rose by 45 percent.
Dr Carter added:
“On a daily basis, nurses are telling us that they do not have enough staff to deliver good quality care. Demand for services is continuing to rise, however staffing levels are being slashed. The £3bn that the Treasury has clawed back from the NHS in the last two years should be reinvested back into vital jobs and services, for example in community provision, that would ultimately improve patient care.
“We welcome the creation of Health Education England to oversee health education and training. We believe it is a significant new opportunity for a genuine long-term perspective on workforce planning covering all healthcare professionals for the first time. However, it is crucial that we act now to secure the supply of nursing for the future. Given the importance of nursing in delivering improved patient outcomes, getting future education and training arrangements right is critical.”
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. The figures regarding the NHS workforce are taken from the NHS Information Centre. http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/nhs-staff-numbers/monthly-nhs-hospital-and-community-health-service-hchs-workforce-statistics-in-england--july-2012-provisional-statistics
2. For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 020 7647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
2. The 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 nursing staff 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.