Nursing is a safety-critical profession. Without enough registered nurses, patient safety is put at risk - and this is especially true for our youngest patients. However, despite government commitments to putting patients first, health services across the UK continue to experience unprecedented pressures.
Now more than ever, we’re seeing an increasing number of children enter health care settings with complex health issues, including long-term conditions, reliance on medical equipment and mental health crisis. These patients require more specialised care, but nurse staffing has not received the investment needed to keep pace with rising patient demand.
When registered nurse levels are low, workloads become unmanageable and essential care is often delayed or missed. In a children’s ward, this might mean missing important observations that track a child’s condition or giving medication later than planned. It also means, nurses are forced into task-based care leaving less time for reassurance, play, emotional support and family involvement – all of which are essential when delivering care to children and young people.
The health needs of our children and young people today also highlight the need for specialist nurses working in learning disability and mental health, whose specific skills are essential to ensuring patients receive the care they need and deserve.
Over the years, several major public inquiries have shown the dangerous implications of not having enough nurses or the right mix of skills when caring for children and young people. The conclusions are all the same, safe staffing isn’t optional, it’s lifesaving.
The RCN’s call for mandated nurse-to-patient ratios remains unwavering and as part of this commitment, we’re continuing to gather evidence to set out what these ratios should be in each and every health care setting.
In November 2025 the RCN Nursing Practice Academy published an updated set of standards which set out the minimum number of registered nurses required to provide safe and effective care for babies, children and young people across all NHS services. Our ambition is for our members and their colleagues providing care to children and young people to feel empowered to use these standards to advocate for greater staffing in their workplaces and to safeguard outcomes in this increasingly complex landscape.
Our members working in children and young people services report that nursing staff are regularly caring for patients in unsafe conditions. If you’re seeking ways to influence change in your workplace, here are a few actions you can take:
Complete our survey: we’ve launched our bi-annual nursing workforce survey. The survey takes 10-15 minutes and is an opportunity to tell us what staffing levels were like the last time you were at work. Your answers will help us build an accurate UK-wide picture of the challenges you’re facing today and support our work to demand safe staffing levels across the UK.
Raise concerns with your employer: If staffing levels are consistently unsafe where you work, raise your concerns with your employer. Our CYP workforce standards and raising concerns toolkit give you the guidance and evidence that you need on how and when to raise a concern.
Given that staffing ratios are recognised as essential for safety in general childcare settings, then there’s no question that nurses and patients must have that same protection in health care settings too.
Now more than ever, we’re seeing an increasing number of children enter health care settings with complex health issues, including long-term conditions, reliance on medical equipment and mental health crisis. These patients require more specialised care, but nurse staffing has not received the investment needed to keep pace with rising patient demand.
When registered nurse levels are low, workloads become unmanageable and essential care is often delayed or missed. In a children’s ward, this might mean missing important observations that track a child’s condition or giving medication later than planned. It also means, nurses are forced into task-based care leaving less time for reassurance, play, emotional support and family involvement – all of which are essential when delivering care to children and young people.
The health needs of our children and young people today also highlight the need for specialist nurses working in learning disability and mental health, whose specific skills are essential to ensuring patients receive the care they need and deserve.
Over the years, several major public inquiries have shown the dangerous implications of not having enough nurses or the right mix of skills when caring for children and young people. The conclusions are all the same, safe staffing isn’t optional, it’s lifesaving.
The RCN’s call for mandated nurse-to-patient ratios remains unwavering and as part of this commitment, we’re continuing to gather evidence to set out what these ratios should be in each and every health care setting.
In November 2025 the RCN Nursing Practice Academy published an updated set of standards which set out the minimum number of registered nurses required to provide safe and effective care for babies, children and young people across all NHS services. Our ambition is for our members and their colleagues providing care to children and young people to feel empowered to use these standards to advocate for greater staffing in their workplaces and to safeguard outcomes in this increasingly complex landscape.
Our members working in children and young people services report that nursing staff are regularly caring for patients in unsafe conditions. If you’re seeking ways to influence change in your workplace, here are a few actions you can take:
Complete our survey: we’ve launched our bi-annual nursing workforce survey. The survey takes 10-15 minutes and is an opportunity to tell us what staffing levels were like the last time you were at work. Your answers will help us build an accurate UK-wide picture of the challenges you’re facing today and support our work to demand safe staffing levels across the UK.
Raise concerns with your employer: If staffing levels are consistently unsafe where you work, raise your concerns with your employer. Our CYP workforce standards and raising concerns toolkit give you the guidance and evidence that you need on how and when to raise a concern.
Given that staffing ratios are recognised as essential for safety in general childcare settings, then there’s no question that nurses and patients must have that same protection in health care settings too.
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