Nurses to march for ‘A Future that Works’
Published: 22 June 2012
Nurses and healthcare assistants from all corners of the UK are once again set to stand shoulder to shoulder alongside colleagues from across the public services against continuing Government cuts.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members from across the UK will take to the streets of London on 20 October as part of the Trade Union Congress’s march for ‘A Future that Works’. They will be demonstrating their opposition to the cuts that are currently taking place within the NHS and the public sector as whole. The RCN’s Frontline First campaign has already identified that over 61,000 NHS posts are earmarked to be lost across the UK. Many members are also reporting widespread cuts to services as the NHS in England seeks to save £20 billion in efficiency savings by 2015.
Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said:
“Nurses showed the strength of feeling when they marched last year and the fact that they are coming together again demonstrates the depth of their concern about these cuts. The Government would do well to listen to frontline staff who are facing these challenges on a daily basis and consider alternatives to simply cutting posts and valuable services. If they continue in this way there is no doubt that patient care will suffer.
“Equally, it is hardly surprising that morale is now so low; with nurses stretched to breaking point and tough pay constraints in place at a time when inflation is soaring. There is compelling evidence to show that workload and workplace issues have a serious effect on morale and motivation, which in turn is closely linked to patient experience.”
The RCN will be liaising with the TUC around logistics for the march and will advise members of how to get involved in due course.
Notes to editors
1. Further information on the march is available here http://afuturethatworks.org/
2. For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
3. 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 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