This week, the UK government unveiled its latest Budget. Ahead of this announcement, we called on ministers to prioritise investment in the NHS – highlighting the economic case for investing in nursing.  

Once again however, there was no transformative funding in the budget for nursing staff or our patients. Relegated to a side note we were left frustrated, with no detail on numbers or investment.  

As many of you know, I stood for RCN President with a clear and unwavering commitment: to tackle the issue of nursing pay head-on. For me, the fight for fair pay is not just about our monthly pay packets, it’s about safeguarding the future of our profession. So the fight for restoring pay justice is not over - and we will not stop until we achieve meaningful structural pay reform.  

So many of the challenges we face - staffing shortages, limited access to training and development, rising workplace stress - stem from one core issue: nursing staff not being valued for the vital work we do. Fair pay for nursing staff boosts the wider economy too – through taxes, spending, and the stability that comes from a well-supported workforce.  

Last week we welcomed the Home Secretary’s announced consultation on Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) which sets out that nurses working in the NHS won’t see their ILR qualifying period extended. We have fought hard on this front. And there remain unanswered questions. These proposals could have serious consequences for other sectors such as social care, for both nurses and nursing support workers. They don’t provide the clarity for nurses' families we want to see and risk pushing more international nursing staff into financial hardship. 

But we will continue to push the government - our international nursing staff should be offered settled status on arrival and be celebrated for their contribution, not forced to wait for years of uncertainty.  

At the same time, we’re also taking proactive steps to protect and empower nursing staff. It’s been just over a year since we launched our Employment Standards for Independent Health and Social Care Settings. These standards were created with members to help all nursing staff working in non-NHS roles to understand and demand the rights that they are entitled to at work. The Standards also act as a benchmark for independent sector providers and commissioners and are a reminder of their obligations to nursing staff and the people they care for.  

To mark the anniversary, we launched a new set of downloadable resources for RCN members and reps to support them in using the Standards and having conversations about their working conditions. We’ll also be running a social media campaign over the next few weeks featuring more information and videos from reps working in the independent sector – so look out for these on our digital channels and share with colleagues working in the sector. 

Supporting our members goes hand in hand with recognising those who make nursing possible. At the weekend, we once again came together to mark Nursing Support Workers’ Day. This is an important event in the RCN calendar as it gives us the opportunity to highlight the fundamental contributions made by health care assistants, nursing associates, health care support workers and all those working in the 100 plus roles supporting and assisting registered nurses.  

I’ve had the pleasure of working with many nursing support workers, and I have learned a lot from them. I have been grateful for their teaching, expertise and company. Many act as part of organisational or departmental memory, helping to transfer knowledge from one area of nursing to another – as well as championing good practice.  

This year we held our second annual Nursing Support Workers’ Conference with sessions focussed on future-proofing our professions and leading with integrity. We also shared a host of resources online – including our brilliant new Nursing Support Workers’ film. 

This theme of celebration and recognition continued last week as I attended the RCN Wales Nurse of the Year 2025 awards in Cardiff. And what an inspiring evening of celebration it was. All of the nominees were a credit to Welsh Nursing and Annie Clothier was a worthy winner for her amazing work in vascular nursing. It was a privilege to see so much expertise, compassion and leadership on show and my congratulations go out to all the nominees.   

Events like these are a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. And why it is so important that we keep fighting for the profession that we love and the people who depend on us. As we enter December, I want to reassure you that you are not alone – whether you’re concerned about patient safety issues, or the effects of winter pressures on you or your patients, or anything you and your colleagues are experiencing personally – we are here to support you. You can find out more about how we can do that here.