Responding to the final report of the IPPR’s Commission on Health and Prosperity, Executive Director of RCN England Patricia Marquis said:
“The RCN has long been calling for a focus on prevention and for nursing to play a key role in delivering crucial public health services.
“Nursing staff work in communities, including in homes and schools, providing advice and interventions to prevent ill health and keep people well. Yet community, school, and public health nursing workforce numbers have plummeted, resulting in missed opportunities and added pressures to an already overstretched NHS.
“The government can only achieve its stated missions for growth and the NHS by prioritising health, including prevention. Doing that will require increased investment to scale up community and public health nursing services, whilst ensuring that safe and effective treatment is available when people need it.”
Ends
Notes to editorsOur greatest asset: The final report of the IPPR Commission on Health and Prosperity
