Why nursing must be at the heart of the Westminster government's ambitions
In July 2025, the Westminster government published its new 10-year health plan for the NHS.
The plan, called Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, sets out a wide range of ambitious reforms to transform the health service over the next decade. It focuses on three fundamental ‘shifts’.
1. From hospital to community
Providing high quality care closer to home, through neighbourhood health services and more community-based services.
2. From analogue to digital
The use of new technologies to improve efficiency and patient experience, including the NHS app.
3. From sickness to prevention
Early intervention, health promotion and preventative care to improve overall population health.
What does the plan mean for nursing?
With the right investment and empowerment, our profession can be at the heart of these ambitions. Throughout its development, we lobbied ministers for nursing to be central to the plan.
Improvements that must have nursing at their core include those listed below.
End the “disgraceful spectacle of corridor care”
Thousands of our members told us the scale and harrowing effects of corridor care in a report we published in January 2025. We’re committed to working with the government to end corridor care in all its forms.
Establish a neighbourhood health centre “in every community”
According to the plan, new neighbourhood health centres will be open at least 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Nursing staff will play a key role within these centres and multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams. For example, the plan commits to introducing neighbourhood nursing and midwifery leads to coordinate strategy and represent the community’s voice. The plan also promises to increase the number of nurse consultants, particularly in neighbourhood settings.
Create a new professional nursing strategy
The strategy would be led by the Chief Nursing Officer and include measures to reduce the number of students leaving nursing. It would also outline how nursing staff and midwives can be supported throughout their careers.
Make the NHS “the best employer”
The plan says NHS staff will “be better treated and more motivated, have better training and more scope to develop their careers”. It commits to improving working lives and developing a new set of standards for working conditions.
Reduce the number of nursing and midwifery staff leaving the profession
The plan commits to a 1% reduction – equivalent to an additional 300 nurses and midwives joining the NHS each year.
Improve financial support for struggling students
The plan commits to exploring options to support students from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds.
Make the NHS less dependent on international staff
The plan promises to move recruitment to its own communities. The government wants to reduce international recruitment to less than 10% by 2035.
Create more mental health emergency departments
An extra £120m of funding has been promised to create 85 dedicated mental health emergency departments across England.
Ready to help shape the workforce plan?
The UK government is building a workforce plan as part of its 10-year Health Plan and needs to hear from experts like you. To help you get started with your submission, you might want to include:
The serious staff shortages and high caseloads you might be facing
Other issues that stop you from being productive, safe and healthy at work – for example, access to working technology, training and wellbeing support, strong nurse leadership and opportunities to speak up
The critical role nurses will play in helping the government shift care from acute to community care, from sickness to prevention and from analogue to digital (as set out above)
Any ideas for new initiatives that the government should consider based on your experiences
RCN says to make the Westminster government's vision for the NHS in England a reality, a new fully funded plan is needed to grow the nursing workforce – especially in community roles
