Today we’re celebrating International Workers’ Day – a chance to recognise workers worldwide. It’s a reminder of the workers and union leaders who improved working conditions for all and inspired countless others to do the same. 

It’s important to look back at what we have achieved as a trade union to improve pay, terms and working conditions for members. From first accrediting Safety Reps in the 1970s, to influencing the Assault on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 and launching a COVID-19 risk assessment toolkit in 2024 – we've been at the forefront of measures to improve safety for members. And we must never forget just how important such developments are and this week, on International Workers’ Memorial Day, we remembered all those who have lost their lives to work. You can find out more of the work we’ve done over the last 50 years here.  

This year we have seen some important progress in that area, not least with the Employment Rights Act which has seen the biggest advancement in workers’ rights in a generation. And the RCN has played a crucial role in making sure the act is as strong and effective as it can be for the nursing workforce, including improved women’s rights in the workplace and increased rights for workers on zero-hours contracts.  

We’re fast approaching the perfect opportunity to discuss and debate the employment issues that you want us to work on, and the other major issues facing our profession - RCN Congress is one of the biggest events of the year for our members, and for me personally. It’s so important for you to be involved in setting the agenda for the work of the College over the coming year.  

So I urge all of you attending to take the opportunity to make your voices heard. And if you haven’t already, there is still time to book your place.  

A very live issue affecting facing our profession right now is the discussion taking place on the role of advanced nurse practice, which some of you may have seen recent media coverage on. I wanted to reassure members that the College is taking the recent reports suggesting patient safety is at risk because of the use of Advanced Nurse Practitioners in place of doctors very seriously. As you know, advanced nursing practice is highly-skilled, delivered by expert registered nurses and is underpinned by a masters level education and a comprehensive range of knowledge, skills and capabilities. ANPs are central to the delivery of safe and effective patient care across many services and are not substitutes for other professions. We are monitoring this situation and will continue to respond strongly on your behalf and that of our profession.  

One of the biggest things I hear from the many nursing staff I meet, right across the UK, is the impact of unsafe staffing and the worry it causes because of the potential impact on patient safety. In the results of a new RCN survey published this week, half of community mental health nurses who responded told us that patients are frequently coming to harm because of overwhelming caseloads.  

With too few staff, overwhelming caseloads and excessive admin, community mental health nursing teams are caught in a perfect storm. Our new analysis shows that demand for services has grown more than twice as fast as staffing. It means that despite working exceptionally hard, they just cannot meet rising demand. Sadly, the result is vulnerable people with mental ill health going without care and nursing staff feeling deeply distressed as patients deteriorate. That can’t go on.  

Growing this crucial workforce must be a priority for the Westminster government wanting to move from treatment to prevention, and from hospital to community. We will continue to advocate for investment in nursing ahead of the workforce plan publication later this spring.   

Last week we received confirmation that long awaited talks between NHS Staff Council and governments on reforming Agenda for Change would begin. Alongside other NHS unions we will be advocating for the best possible outcome for our members and will update you once the negotiations have concluded.  

And we are finalising our plans to support our NHS members through the job evaluation process. Additional funding has recently been made available to NHS employers in England to support a review of band 5 roles. Alongside this all nursing roles in the NHS across the UK need to be evaluated against new national role profiles published last year.  

If you do just one thing after reading this blog, find your job description and if it hasn't been updated in the last 12 months, please start reviewing it against the new nursing role profiles. For nursing to be properly valued, your pay must reflect the responsibility you hold and the work you undertake.  Your employer should be doing this with you and the RCN will be there to support you too.  

I want to finish by giving my congratulations to the new RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year winner Nicola Braid, a senior learning disabilities nurse at NHS24. I was delighted to attend the Awards ceremony last night to celebrate the complex, specialised and evidence-based work of nursing professionals in Scotland. What an inspiration all the nominees are. I look forward to attending the RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year Awards in June, and the nominations for the RCN Wales Awards are now open. Please take the time to recognise your colleagues who go above and beyond.