Responding to the Nuffield Trust report ‘Lessons for changing the mix of professions in NHS services’ RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said:
“Those working in support roles are a hugely important part of the nursing workforce and large parts of the NHS would not run without them. But this report brings into sharp focus how the lessons of the past have gone unheeded and those on the frontline of care are being left to take accountability for failures out of their control.
“Nursing staff are regularly being asked to carry out tasks and deliver care beyond their competencies, this puts them and their patients at risk. Despite repeated warnings, we are now witnessing a devastating impact on patient care meaning many are regularly left waiting too long for treatment, particularly those with complex needs, and corridor care is becoming routine.
“Any future plans for the nursing workforce must ensure the right mix of skills to ensure those with complex needs get the care they need and no member of the nursing team is left to carry the weight of failed investment.”
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Notes to editors
Nuffield Trust - In the balance: Lessons for changing the mix of professions in NHS services
