‘We will stand up, we will fight, and be heard’, says nurses’ leader
Published: 11 April 2011
In his keynote speech at the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) annual Congress in Liverpool, Dr Peter Carter told around 2,000 nurses: “Our message is simple: no more taking advantage of your good will. No more treating your terms and conditions like they don’t matter. And no more financial pressures put on your bank balance – this has to stop and stop now.”
“We will stand up, we will fight and we will be heard.”
Reflecting nurses’ anger about the newly-implemented public sector two-year pay freeze and attacks on pensions and incremental pay, he said: “Enough is enough. The economic state of the nation may be dire, but that’s no excuse for pushing the very people that keep the NHS going to the absolute limit.”
Dr Carter also specifically addressed a commonly held perception that the NHS pension scheme was unaffordable. Pointing to disquiet as a result of Lord Hutton’s recent report on pensions, he said that the pension scheme was currently creating a £2billion surplus for the British economy. He added: “They do not need this fight at this time.”
Dr Carter’s wide ranging speech also hit back at wasteful spending in the NHS.
Agreeing that there were efficiencies that could be made he criticised the ‘scandalous cost’ of PFI agreements: “One hospital in East London that cost £261 million to build six years ago. The taxpayer is now paying the money back and the interest alone costs twenty million pounds. If the Government wants to get rid of waste in the system, start with renegotiating these agreements, not the pay and pensions of frontline staff.”
In a passionate section defending patient care, Dr Carter added: “It’s time that we got serious about waste in the NHS. Cut the unused drugs and medication, not the specialist nurse. Cut the outrageous cost of PFIs not the mental health ward. And cut the spending on management consultants, not the nurse working in the rural community.”
He ended his speech with a message to decision makers: “When you next think about cutting a budget or closing a service, remember one thing. Patients need nurses. Whether you reform the NHS or keep it as it is, one thing remains true – patients need nurses.”
Ends
Notes to editors
1.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
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 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