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Health bill amendment a significant victory for nursing
Top-table seat secured for nursing in foundation trusts in England
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Lobbying by the RCN has resulted in the Westminster government reinstating the requirement for nursing leadership on foundation trust boards in England in the Health Bill currently making its way through the UK Parliament.
The Westminster government had proposed removing an important part of the existing 2006 National Health Service Act, including the legal requirement for nursing representation on foundation trust boards. Decisions about services for entire populations would have been made without any nursing expertise input.
After we raised serious concerns, the government has laid an amendment to the Health Bill which would see the legal requirement for nursing leadership on foundation trust boards retained. We expect this amendment to be passed but will continue to monitor the situation and apply pressure as needed as the details are worked through.
We previously described this proposal as “a brazen attack on patient safety.”
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “This is a significant victory for nursing, safeguarding its seat at the top table of NHS foundation trusts. It maintains the existing legal requirement which the government had previously intended to scrap. We have fought hard for this amendment, and it is a breakthrough moment with the government listening to our calls to ensure board-level nurse leadership is protected.
“The voice of nursing should always be heard in the NHS boardroom. We are the largest workforce within the NHS and the closest to the patient. Chief nurses deserve their expertise and leadership to be recognised and their place guaranteed so they can advocate on behalf of patients and for the nursing workforce.”
We will continue to scrutinise the bill as details are worked through and we’ll be asking MPs to ensure the amendment is passed. We believe it’s vital that nursing staff can continue to challenge leaders to ensure the needs of patients are always central to decision making in the NHS.
