Press releases
Read our latest press releases and responses to breaking news stories
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21/05/2026
Press Release
Depleted social care workforce burnt out and demoralised as underfunding issues persist, warns Royal College of Nursing
The depleted nursing workforce in adult social care is so burnt out from caring for too many people that one in three are looking to leave.
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20/05/2026
Press Release
Half a million children attended A&E in mental health crisis, as RCN calls for wider roll-out of mental health A+Es and for action on social determinants
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health make joint intervention to stop children and young people facing ‘barbaric’ waits of up to 3 days in A&E.
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19/05/2026
Press Release
Nursing students in Wales pushed into poverty despite existing support, RCN warns
RCN Wales is calling on the Welsh Government to undertake an urgent review of the true cost of studying nursing, and to ensure financial support reflects the real pressures students are facing.
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18/05/2026
Press Release
RCN UK-wide Freedom of Information request reveals continual rise in racial abuse towards nursing staff
In Wales, 342 incidents of racial abuse were reported between 2022 and 2025. This figure has risen by 93% since 2022, rising from 59 in 2022, 81 in 2023, 84 in 2024 and 114 in 2025.
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18/05/2026
Press Release
Nursing leader warns collapsing nurse growth and rising complexity a ‘deadly mix’ for patients
The findings are from the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) latest ‘Last Shift’ survey, which asked more than 13,000 nursing staff across the UK about their experiences on their most recent shift.
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11/05/2026
Press Response
RCN Wales calls for graduate guarantee for newly qualified nurses in Wales as only 69% of anticipated nursing graduates this year are set to secure a job.
HEIW have announced that only 69% of nurses who have trained and been part of the NHS for the past 3 years will currently have a job within the NHS in Wales.
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07/04/2026
Press Release
RCN Warns of Nursing Graduate Jobs Crisis as NHS Pressures Deepen
Current indications suggest up to half of all nursing graduates in Wales may be left without a job when recruitment finally opens.
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25/03/2026
Press Release
RCN Wales publishes new priorities and recommendations for the future of nursing education and lifelong learning
The publication was launched at the RCN Institute of Nursing Excellence in Wales Leadership Summit in Cardiff and succeeds the 2016 RCN Wales Education Strategy.
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25/03/2026
Press Response
RCN Wales responds to the Welsh government statement on the acceptance of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body
“It was clear that nursing staff were being failed on pay when the NHS Wales pay award of 3.3% was announced last month and today, that remains the case."
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24/03/2026
Press Response
RCN Response to Royal College of Emergency Medicine Findings: Corridor Care and Long Waits Putting Patients at Risk
“Every day, our members are witnessing the consequences of a system under extreme and sustained pressure, where patients are waiting far too long in environments that are not fit for safe, dignified care."
Page last updated - 02/06/2026
