Responding to NHS England's announcement of a package of measures to boost capacity ahead of winter,RCN Head of Nursing Practice, Wendy Preston, said:
“Yesterday’s NHS data showed just how desperate things have got across health and social care for patients and nursing staff. Initiatives to improve patient flow and capacity are urgently needed, but the elephant in the room is being ignored.
“New hospitals and community beds, virtual or real, are just furniture without an adequate nursing workforce to care for patients. Innovation and digital intervention are all useful tools to create more capacity. But without experienced, skilled nursing staff to treat patients, these are just touches around the edges.
“If the NHS is truly ‘taking every step possible’ to ensure they are prepared for additional pressure, they would be advocating for better pay for all nursing staff.
“Ministers have failed to address the workforce crisis. This is why we will be asking our members to vote to strike in our upcoming ballot. Our patients deserve better, and the latest pay award was the final insult. Ministers must change course urgently.”
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