RCN – Nursing posts on the slide

Published: 25 September 2012

For immediate release: 25 September 2012

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today responded to the NHS Information Centre workforce statistics, revealing that the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff has fallen by 5780 since April 2010, with 840 lost in June alone, the most recent month for which figures are available.

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN said:

“Our members have been highlighting the posts being slashed by NHS Trusts for more than two years now, and we have proved that more than 60,000 posts are at risk. You simply can’t take out this many posts without profoundly affecting patient care. One nurse being taken off a ward or out of a community nursing team can make a huge difference to the time the rest of the team can spend with patients. A reduction on this scale, happening over a short period of time, is something that the NHS as a whole will struggle to adapt to. It will also cost the health service money in the long run, as patients will start to be admitted to hospital unnecessarily.

“Rather than targeting the front line, the NHS should organise itself to keep people well and out of hospital, and nurses have a crucial role in making this happen. The RCN will continue to oppose a slash and burn approach to job cuts and will work to keep our members working and our patients safe.”

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Notes to Editors

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/news/mediacentre.php

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.