Press Releases
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07/08/2026
Press Release
A successful National Care Service can end ‘grotesque’ exploitation of migrant registered nurses in the sector, nursing union leader Professor Nicola Ranger says
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said: “Just a week after the Prime Minister laid out his plans for social care in England, this report exposes the scale of grotesque exploitation taking place in the sector. A National Care Service meeting the needs of an ageing population, with complex conditions, will need to be registered nurse led. We’re the ones with the skill and expertise to make it work, but that cannot happen while so many of our migrant colleagues are being exploited."
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06/08/2026
Press Release
New NHS mental health facilities will need specialist nurses at the centre, says Royal College of Nursing
RCN Head of Nursing Practice Stephen Jones said: "More services closer to people’s homes and new dedicated emergency departments are a crucial step towards more humane care. To succeed, both will need specialist mental health nurses at the centre."
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05/08/2026
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing calls on governments to urgently publish health and care guidance as updated EHRC Code of Practice comes into effect
RCN Chief Nursing Officer, Professor Lynn Woolsey said: “Without guidance, there remain many unanswered questions for nursing staff providing patient care in our health services. We are calling urgently for sector-specific guidance in all relevant parts of the UK, and we are raising these concerns directly with the Minister for Women and Equalities."
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30/07/2026
Press Release
Nursing staff 'at sharp end' of climate change as extreme heat deaths hit record levels, says Royal College of Nursing
Executive Director of RCN England Patricia Marquis, said: “Climate change is a public health emergency that is getting worse in front of our eyes. It requires urgent action from governments, including to improve NHS and care facilities so that they are safe to work and be cared for in"
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30/07/2026
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing warns against proposed cuts to practice learning hours for nursing students
RCN Chief Nursing Officer, Professor Lynn Woolsey said: "Nurse education is already in the grips of a crisis with courses at risk of closure and nurse educators facing redundancy. It makes it more important than ever for the regulator to protect the quality of learning, the experience of students and, ultimately, patient care.”
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30/07/2026
Press Release
Nursing is a highly skilled, safety-critical profession and it is essential to patient safety that our title is protected, says Royal College of Nursing
RCN Chief Nursing Officer Professor Lynn Woolsey, said: “Patients and their families deserve to trust that when they are told they are being treated by a nurse, it is a registered nurse providing their care."
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29/07/2026
Press Release
Put nurse-led care at the core of a new national care service, says Royal College of Nursing
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: "It's refreshing to hear a Prime Minister so directly address poor pay in social care, which remains one of the biggest barriers to recruiting and retaining skilled staff. The goal now must be making social care an employer of choice, on a par with the NHS, with people able to move between services without risking a cut in their pay."
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28/07/2026
Press Release
All parties have a 'moral responsibility' to get behind social care reform, says Royal College of Nursing
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said: “A new model with registered nurse-led care at its core will be transformative in delivering high quality, person-centred treatment and support, while reducing the pressure on the NHS."
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26/07/2026
Press Release
PM right to prioritise social care, but 'devil will be in the detail', says Royal College of Nursing
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said: "For decades now, politicians have promised the world on adult social care and delivered very little, leaving many vulnerable people and their families without adequate care and support. The nursing profession will be encouraged by the government's attempts to finally grasp the nettle and the RCN is ready to support them to get this right."
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22/07/2026
Press Release
Nursing staff working in crumbling hospitals will not be surprised by these findings, says Royal College of Nursing
RCN Chief Nursing Officer Professor Lynn Woolsey, said: "Any new government that hopes to turn things around cannot shirk the big issues, including fixing the staffing crisis, eradicating corridor care and reforming social care."
Page last updated - 02/06/2026
