In response to the Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting’s, Labour Party Conference speech, Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse, Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“If our NHS is to be the envy of the world again, with quality social care to match – they each need both investment and reform.
“High quality social care, delivered by professionals who are fairly rewarded and well trained, is what we all want in later life, or times of need. By raising standards in social care, a Labour government would save NHS resources and improve health services. Today’s care system too often fails our older and most in need groups and is poor value for money – addressing this is the reform that is urgently needed.
“Any future government will not get record patient waiting lists down whilst the NHS is short of tens of thousands of nursing staff. What nursing staff need to see is reform of services with greater emphasis on prevention, their pay and improved patient care.
“While the focus on reform and prevention is long overdue, it is not a cheap or quick solution. This can only happen by undoing a decade of cuts to local public health budgets that have left nurses delivering crucial services on a shoestring budget.
“Any political party serious about winning the next election will reap the rewards of tackling the challenges in health and social care.”
