RCN welcomes Andrew Lansley speech to Conservative Party Conference

Published: 30 September 2008

Responding to today’s speech by Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley on the Conservative party’s plans for the NHS, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said:

“We are very pleased that the Conservative party has listened to the RCN’s call for the abolition of mixed-sex wards and we welcome the pledge to free up nurses from the bureaucracy of excessive form filling so that they can spend more time with patients.

“The RCN also welcomes the Conservatives’ commitment to providing the comprehensive care required to make top-up payments a thing of the past. The top-up debate is one riddled with complexities, so it really is important that the politicians get it right and ensure that the founding principles of the NHS are safeguarded.

“The RCN looks forward to seeing the details of these ambitious pledges and ensuring that the Conservatives involve frontline nurses at every step of the policy development.”
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Notes for Editors

For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit 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.