With students right across the four countries receiving their exam results in recent weeks, some of them will now be preparing to embark on their careers in nursing. As a frontline nurse with forty years under my belt, I know that nursing can be a brilliant, rewarding career. It’s taken me to places I’d never dreamed of and challenged me in ways I had never imagined.
Despite this, we sadly know that our profession is under threat from lack of investment. It is getting increasingly difficult to attract new talent in to nursing as poor pay and unsustainable workloads take their toll on staff wellbeing and patient safety.
There has also been a serious lack of investment in training and financial support for nursing students, meaning that many are missing out on vital development opportunities. The staffing pressures also mean that nursing students are too often being asked to undertake work outside of their supernumerary status, leaving them feeling unsupported and their patients at risk. Coupled with the looming threat of student debt, too many potential members of the workforce are being put off before they have even started.
At the other end of the scale, we have an ageing population with increasing health needs and a maturing nursing workforce. With over 200,000 NMC registrants projected to retire in the next 15 years, encouraging more people into our profession should be a priority.
We know too that it is not just about nursing pay or workforce numbers, but having the correct skill mix to deliver safe and effective care. All too often, redeployment is putting nursing staff in a difficult and stressful position whilst failing to ensure that the right skills are in the right place at the right time.
This is simply not sustainable.
As nursing professionals we need to come together and take a stand to demand the protection of nursing, for the sake of ourselves, our patients and our future colleagues.
That’s why the RCN will be balloting members in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 15 September and asking them to vote ‘yes’ to strike action. This is a historic moment for our College and for us as a profession. It is a decision that none of us take lightly. However, the time has come to say ‘enough is enough’.
Whether Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak become our next prime minister, they must make it a priority to deal with the cost of living crisis and deliver the investment our profession needs to deliver safe care.
We don’t need to look far to see what can be achieved when we stand together to make our collective voice heard. Successful industrial action in Northern Ireland in 2019/20 resulted in pay parity with the NHS in England and a series of measures to improve safe staffing.
The most important thing you can do for your colleagues and patients right now is check that your details are correct so that if you are eligible, you receive your ballot paper in September. You can also sign up to become one of our strike ballot Voting Volunteers and help spread the word about the ballot in your workplace.
It’s time to stand up and stand together. When nursing is safe, patients now and in the future are safe too.
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