In response to the Health Secretary's interview on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse, Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
"Today we might be discussing the winter crisis, but NHS performance has been falling over a decade regardless of the season. Cold months bring particular challenges, but nursing staff are working in dire situations year-round.
“There is a real frustration amongst nursing staff that they cannot deliver the care they want for their patients. They are battling against record waiting lists, longer waits for ambulances, and staff shortages on every shift.
“It is critical that government does not overclaim success on targets when it does not reflect the reality nursing staff face every day - the number of unfilled nurse jobs is still over 40,000. One nurse can be left caring for 10, 15 or more patients and that is very often unsafe.
"The Health Secretary admits this will be an extremely challenging winter. To tackle it head on, the government should focus on correcting its decision to hand nurses one of the lowest pay rises in the public sector, deliver safe staffing levels including in legislation, and provide the investment the workforce plan needs to succeed.”
