RCN sets out top nursing priorities to new prime minister

To deliver his agenda, the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham must back nursing and invest to tackle the workforce crisis, including by turning around declining pay, the RCN said.

Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, said: "Our profession is the largest workforce in health and care, central to the health and wellbeing of every community. But the reality is whether in hospitals or the community, we’re depleted and underinvested in.

“Delivering good growth in every postcode requires good health in every postcode and that means wasting no time in tackling the nursing workforce crisis. His plan for the country must show that our profession is valued as a key pillar of national infrastructure.”

We’ve set out the five areas that offer the most potential for getting the profession back on track, which need prioritising in the new government’s first 100 days.

1. Restore trust and dignity to the NHS by taking a cross-government approach to putting the NHS on a sustainable footing, eliminating corridor care, increasing urgent and emergency care capacity, improving access to mental health services, and investing in prevention and neighbourhood health.
2. Break the cycle of nursing pay inequity through direct negotiations with unions on a fair pay deal, fully funded Agenda for Change (AfC) reform, and automatic band 5-6 progression for NHS registered nurses.
3. Strengthen nursing to strengthen the nation with a fully funded 10-year workforce plan, an end to unethical international recruitment, and improved support for nursing students and graduates.
4. Fix adult social care through structural reform, through a long-term funding settlement, and immediate action to grow the registered nursing workforce.
5. Value and retain internationally educated nursing staff by providing a fair route to settlement, reversing proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain eligibility, and removing No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions.

Nicola said that she believes by “upending the tired Westminster consensus, which sees nursing pay as a cost rather than an investment”, Mr Burnham can make the profession more attractive to the nursing staff of the future and keep more brilliant staff in post.

“Turning round declining nursing pay couldn't be more important to kickstarting NHS performance, building a workforce that can shift care into people's communities and growing an economy with a fit and healthy population,” she said.

Since the last General Election in 2024, we’ve lobbied the government to secure several successes for the nursing profession.

• We called for automatic progression for nursing staff from band 5 to band 6 roles, and the Westminster government committed to reviewing every band 5 NHS nursing role in England.
• We also called for an end to corridor care. Now, this issue is reported on publicly and NHS England has released corridor care data for the first time.
• We’ve successfully campaigned for restrictions on the right to strike to be revoked.
• The government has also committed to protecting the title "nurse" in law, and to a conversion therapy ban.

Nicola added that nursing staff will want the prime minister to waste no time in fixing social care. “It's so wrong that in 2026, people are still unable to secure the timely, high-quality care they need. It's crucial the incoming administration recognises the link between social care and NHS performance. Corridors in hospitals lined with the elderly and vulnerable who shouldn’t be there is the clearest sign of a failing social care system.”

We're asking nursing staff to add their names to our open letter. It calls for nursing to be at the top of the new government's agenda – recognising that building a country that works for all people in all places, starts with investing in nursing staff to keep people healthy and able to live, work and thrive.

Image credit: Andy Burnham ©House of Commons, CC BY 3.0