Press Releases
-
14/05/2025
Press Release
Nursing union responds to PAC report on the abolition of NHS England
RCN Executive Director of England, Patricia Marquis, said: “When it was announced, we warned that the abolition of NHS England must not repeat the chaotic reorganisation that created it. This report shows the government wasn’t listening and moved too fast without proper consultation."
-
13/05/2025
Press Release
Nursing leader calls for ‘urgent’ investment in mental health nursing as ‘degrading’ 12h+ waits rise five-fold
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Severely ill mental health patients waiting days for treatment in stressful and brightly lit A+Es is a scandal in plain sight. These conditions are not “the norm” and nursing staff will not accept them."
-
13/05/2025
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) urges investment in mental health nursing amid crisis-level A&E pressures
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is calling for urgent and sustained investment in the mental health nursing workforce following a UK-wide Freedom of Information (FOI) investigation that reveals a rise in the number of patients attending emergency departments in mental health crisis.
-
12/05/2025
Press Release
Nursing leader condemns government immigration measures in major speech
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Many of you in this hall today started your nursing journey far away. So let me say again: you are more than welcome in the UK. Thank you for bringing your skills to this country and bringing your lives here. You know, more than I ever will, the obstacles, costs and the hostility."
-
12/05/2025
Press Release
Gen Z key to solving 'ticking time bomb’ workforce crisis, nursing leader says
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Young people can see the value nursing has to society and they have passion for care and public service. But low pay and the prospect of working in underfunded services mean so few consider it a career for them. Gen Z are the future of our profession and key to transforming health and care for decades to come."
-
12/05/2025
Press Release
Nursing student financial hardship and higher education crisis pose dire threat to future of nursing
Financial support for nursing students has remained stagnant during a spiralling cost of living crisis, whilst a growing uncertainty in the future of nursing higher education comes during a time where reliance on health services is at breaking point.
-
12/05/2025
Press Release
Immigration measures 'pandering and scapegoating', Royal College of Nursing says ahead of Prime Minister's speech
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Many of you in this hall today started your nursing journey far away. So let me say again: you are more than welcome in the UK. Thank you for bringing your skills to this country and bringing your lives here. You know, more than I ever will, the obstacles, costs and the hostility."
-
12/05/2025
Press Release
Nursing union welcomes better legal protections for nursing professionals
Responding to the 'protect the nurse' law change, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said: “This is an important moment for our safety-critical profession, after years of campaigning."
-
09/05/2025
Press Release
Cutting nurse jobs will cost lives, Royal College of Nursing warns
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “This is NHS leaders themselves coming clean about the perilous state of the NHS. With just weeks until the biggest government spending review in years, this cannot go ignored."
-
07/05/2025
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing responds to the Centre for Mental Health/NHS Confederation report on moving mental health care into the community
Stephen Jones, RCN Head of Nursing Practice, said: “As this study shows, there simply is not the provision to match the rising demand for mental health services. The consequences of this are dire. Patients in crisis are forced to attend overcrowded and stressful hospitals, while overworked and understaffed nursing teams deal with waiting rooms spilling over into corridors."
Page last updated - 21/02/2025
