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Nursing staff meet health secretary ahead of 10-Year Health Plan
The next decade must promise to be brighter. That will require new investment alongside any reforms, and nursing must be at the heart of the plan
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Nursing staff told health secretary Wes Streeting that the profession must be central to any plans created for health and social care.
Along with RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger and RCN President Bejoy Sebastian, RCN members from various nursing specialisms met with the health secretary to offer insight and solutions to help shape the future of the NHS and social care. Chief Nursing Officer for England Duncan Burton and the Minister for Health Karin Smyth MP were also in attendance.
The meeting was a unique opportunity for nursing staff to speak directly to government on issues affecting them and offered solutions for how the health care system can be improved. They spoke about the impact of staff shortages, corridor care and other concerns affecting the health of patients.
In the meeting with Mr Streeting at the Department for Health and Social Care on Wednesday evening, nursing staff were clear that solving the workforce crisis is crucial to build a health system fit for the future, and that government ambitions will only be possible with enough staff in the right places, trained and equipped to deliver safe and effective care. Mental health support and investment was also discussed, with pressures from the lack of provision being felt in acute services.
Members spoke to the health secretary about the importance of investing in the community, where nursing leaders can take the reins on designing and leading transformation. Additional funding for this sector must make its way to nursing staff to help them shape service transformation.
Mr Streeting also heard from nursing staff about how they need to be involved in shaping a shift in digital services, helping to improve digital skills and deliver better joined-up care through technological advances.
Above: Minister for Health Karin Smyth MP, health secretary Wes Streeting and Professor Nicola Ranger at the roundtable discussion
At the end of last year, the RCN encouraged nursing staff to have their say in the government’s public consultation on health following Lord Darzi’s independent review. The RCN provided formal written evidence to the review and will continue to engage in the process.
Lord Darzi’s report concluded the NHS was “broken” and required urgent interventions to put it on a sustainable footing. Following the report, Mr Streeting announced the development of a 10-Year Health Plan to build a health service fit for the future and to meet the changing needs of the population.
We’re calling for several actions in the government’s health plan including a commitment to funding that reflects demand, resolving the nursing workforce crisis, and eradicating corridor care. Find out more about what we are calling for.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: "For the government’s plan to succeed, our profession must be valued as thinkers as well as do-ers. Last night, we demonstrated that our profession is full of ideas and transformative thinking.
“Our members were honest in their assessment: the nursing profession is integral to delivering the government’s 10-year plan, but workforce shortages and chronic underinvestment have caused unbearable pressures, leaving nursing staff unable to do their jobs in hospitals and the community in the way they would want.
“Meanwhile, an out-of-date pay structure leaves them feeling undervalued and trapped. They told the secretary of state that there is no route to transforming services that doesn’t have nursing at its heart, underpinned by new investment to stabilise and grow the workforce."
The RCN says it's now up to the secretary of state to act on the expertise of nursing staff.
Nicola added: "Our profession is wary of grand plans that have no real detail or funding. As the latest figures show student nurse numbers have plunged to a record low, the urgency for government to deliver couldn’t be plainer.”
The 10-Year Health Plan is set to be published in spring 2025. Health care reform is desperately needed – for patients, for service users, for nursing staff like you. Reforms must fix the chronic issues you continuously face, from unsafe staffing numbers to corridor care.
If you have ideas for how the government could make things better for you and those in your care, this is your chance to raise them directly. Respond to the consultation before it’s too late.
