Responding to the HSSIB report, Stephen Jones, UK Head of Nursing Practice at the Royal College of Nursing said:
“The long-term failure to invest in mental health nursing is having a direct and deeply worrying impact on those most in need of care.
“High levels of vacancies mean wards do not have enough specialist nurses, forcing services to turn to temporary staff, unfamiliar with the needs of patients. This can result in inappropriate care being delivered, putting patients and staff alike at risk.
“Mental health patients deserve high-quality care, but a system under severe strain is struggling to deliver it. The government’s NHS reforms must include long term, sustainable funding and dedicated new investment to boost recruitment into mental health nursing.”
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Notes to editors
