This week’s election represents a crossroads for the future of Scotland’s health and care services. Whichever party, or parties, forms the next Scottish government, one thing is clear: the status quo is unsustainable. Staff are working under relentless pressure with many feeling demoralised and undervalued. Patients are spending hours in hospital corridors, while thousands of others are unable to be discharged because appropriate care isn’t in place in the community. At the same time, healthy life expectancy is falling, and an ageing population is living with increasingly complex health and care needs.
These challenges must be addressed in the next parliamentary term. They require long-term solutions, and our politicians must be willing to work together to deliver the bold action that Scotland’s health and care system urgently needs.
In the run up to this election, RCN Scotland’s message has been simple: The Gloves are Off; nursing is ready to be heard.
As the largest part of the workforce, it’s just not possible to turn things around without investing in the nursing profession. We've been urging politicians from all parties to recognise nursing as an investment; one that delivers better outcomes for patients and represents good value for public finances.
Nursing offers solutions to so many of the challenges facing the system, something powerfully illustrated at our RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards last week. From the school nursing service driving prevention and increasing access to services for children in the community, to the Senior Charge Nurse leading the transformation of rehabilitation and frailty pathways and reducing hospital admissions. From the Health Care Support Worker within a health visiting team empowering parents and strengthening family resilience, to our Nurse of the Year - a passionate advocate for learning disability nursing - who demonstrates the real improvements that can be achieved through the use of digital health tools.
While it's important to highlight the serious and worrying challenges facing the nursing profession, our awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the inspiring and innovative work that nursing staff carry out every day across Scotland. It is the highlight of my year, showcasing not only extraordinary practice, but also what a rewarding and impactful career nursing can be.
We have been working hard to deliver these messages to all the main political parties and have successfully influenced a number of the commitments made in the parties’ manifestos. But we are clear that Scotland’s nursing staff and patients cannot afford more warm words, and we expect the next Scottish government to deliver on the pledges made during this election campaign.
I urge you all to have your say and use your vote this week. Whatever the outcome of Thursday’s election, we will continue to ensure the new cohort of MSPs, and the next Scottish government, recognise that it’s time to value nursing properly – because Scotland’s health depends on it.
These challenges must be addressed in the next parliamentary term. They require long-term solutions, and our politicians must be willing to work together to deliver the bold action that Scotland’s health and care system urgently needs.
In the run up to this election, RCN Scotland’s message has been simple: The Gloves are Off; nursing is ready to be heard.
As the largest part of the workforce, it’s just not possible to turn things around without investing in the nursing profession. We've been urging politicians from all parties to recognise nursing as an investment; one that delivers better outcomes for patients and represents good value for public finances.
Nursing offers solutions to so many of the challenges facing the system, something powerfully illustrated at our RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards last week. From the school nursing service driving prevention and increasing access to services for children in the community, to the Senior Charge Nurse leading the transformation of rehabilitation and frailty pathways and reducing hospital admissions. From the Health Care Support Worker within a health visiting team empowering parents and strengthening family resilience, to our Nurse of the Year - a passionate advocate for learning disability nursing - who demonstrates the real improvements that can be achieved through the use of digital health tools.
While it's important to highlight the serious and worrying challenges facing the nursing profession, our awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the inspiring and innovative work that nursing staff carry out every day across Scotland. It is the highlight of my year, showcasing not only extraordinary practice, but also what a rewarding and impactful career nursing can be.
We have been working hard to deliver these messages to all the main political parties and have successfully influenced a number of the commitments made in the parties’ manifestos. But we are clear that Scotland’s nursing staff and patients cannot afford more warm words, and we expect the next Scottish government to deliver on the pledges made during this election campaign.
I urge you all to have your say and use your vote this week. Whatever the outcome of Thursday’s election, we will continue to ensure the new cohort of MSPs, and the next Scottish government, recognise that it’s time to value nursing properly – because Scotland’s health depends on it.
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