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Nurses 'central' to NHS reforms

Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.Published 1 January 20032 min read

Key points

Nurses are pivotal to the government's ambitious plans for upgrading the NHS, a leading medical official has stressed.
Dr Beverley Malone, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said the Ј40 billion to be ploughed into the NHS in the next five years must include significant investments in nurses.
Addressing the RCN's annual congress in Harrogate she said nurses have to be on at least an equal footing with police officers and other public servants who earn more.
As nine per cent of the workforce leaves each year, she emphasised the need to retain experienced staff in the NHS and not just concentrate on recruitment.

Nurses are pivotal to the government's ambitious plans for upgrading the NHS, a leading medical official has stressed.

Dr Beverley Malone, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said the Ј40 billion to be ploughed into the NHS in the next five years must include significant investments in nurses.

"What really delights me is the fact that I know the NHS is held together by nurses"

Dr Beverley Malone, RCN general secretary

This should take in pay, welfare and working conditions.

Addressing the RCN's annual congress in Harrogate she said nurses have to be on at least an equal footing with police officers and other public servants who earn more.

As nine per cent of the workforce leaves each year, she emphasised the need to retain experienced staff in the NHS and not just concentrate on recruitment.

She said: "What really delights me is the fact that I know the NHS is held together by nurses.

"Any effort to really modernise the National Health Service is going to have to revolve around nurses.

"I am very clear that this is nursing's time to stand up and say `Yes, we are the healthiest part of the NHS'."

She added: "They (the government) have put a lot of eggs in one basket, called the NHS basket, and we are happy to bring it home but it is going to require clear investment in nurses."

Meeting targets
Dr Malone said the government had met its election pledges to recruit 20,000 more nurses to the NHS and is promising to employ a further 35,000 by 2008.

"The government has met its targets in recruiting but retaining is the issue," she said.

"I see a great need for emphasis on retaining and keeping the mature nurses right in the NHS."

Dr Malone said one in four nurses is over the age of 50 and considering retirement, while others are simply disillusioned with the profession.

Nurses need not only greater pay but also flexible working hours, the ability to rejoin the profession after a break to raise a family and flexible shift patterns.

A shortage of nurses is also a concern to the general public, a survey has revealed.

The survey, produced by ICM Research, was published on Sunday to coincide with the opening of the week-long RCN nursing congress.

It revealed patients want to see more nurses on wards and that many people saw current NHS staffing levels as a concern.

[BBC News Online]

Written and revised by

Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.

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Key points

Nurses are pivotal to the government's ambitious plans for upgrading the NHS, a leading medical official has stressed.
Dr Beverley Malone, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said the Ј40 billion to be ploughed into the NHS in the next five years must include significant investments in nurses.
Addressing the RCN's annual congress in Harrogate she said nurses have to be on at least an equal footing with police officers and other public servants who earn more.
As nine per cent of the workforce leaves each year, she emphasised the need to retain experienced staff in the NHS and not just concentrate on recruitment.