Press Releases
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21/12/2023
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing responds to NHS England Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Report
Royal College of Nursing Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said: “Nursing staff are being stretched to their limit, and the public deserves better care. Bed occupancy is at its highest level this year, and is now higher than this time last year. This will inevitably lead to unsafe and undignified patient care. In some trusts, one nurse could be left caring for 10, 15, or more patients at a time, and patients are being treated in the back of ambulances, in corridors, and on chairs and trolleys."
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20/12/2023
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing responds to the Pay Review Body letter
Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said: “This letter is extremely late and it confirms the next pay award will be late too. There is no evidence that the government has honoured its commitment to improve how the process works despite a consultation earlier this year. Nursing staff received the lowest pay award in the public sector for 2023/24 - we end the year in formal dispute with ministers and campaigning for a pay rise that addresses the staffing crisis in the NHS."
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18/12/2023
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing comments on Panorama programme ‘Care Workers Under Pressure’
Royal College of Nursing Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said: “The findings of this investigation are deeply disturbing and, tragically, far from unique. There is modern slavery operating within our care system and it needs taking out root and branch."
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15/12/2023
Press Release
Public still back nurses striking one year on from historic action
One year on from nursing staff taking unprecedented strike action – and with a general election on the horizon – a new poll for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reveals unwavering public support for nursing staff taking industrial action in 2024.
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14/12/2023
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing responds to NHS England waiting list data
RCN Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said: “With more than one in 10 people on the NHS waiting list, there is still no room at the inn. NHS capacity is at breaking point as patients are treated in corridors and backed up in ambulances. It’s undignified, unsafe, and behind the statistics are patients who will be suffering this Christmas."
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07/12/2023
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing responds to the latest NHS England Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Report
Royal College of Nursing Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said: “The NHS is already under incredible pressure even before the worst of winter begins to bite. Beds are full, a record number of patients are sitting on waiting lists, and thousands are stuck in hospital due to inadequate social care. This all points to a system in extremely poor health."
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07/12/2023
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing responds to the UCAS End of Cycle data
Royal College of Nursing Deputy Chief Nurse Dr Nichola Ashby said: “The government’s NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is falling off course before it’s even begun. For the plan to succeed, we need to see significant increases in the numbers choosing to study nursing and we’re going in the wrong direction."
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06/12/2023
Press Release
NHS has squandered billions on agencies that could have been used to hire over 31,000 nurses
Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse Professor Nicola Ranger, said: “This should act as a wake-up call. The government must give nursing staff and patients the investment and respect they deserve. Not acting now will mean even more patients on waiting lists and the crisis in the nursing workforce deepening further.”
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04/12/2023
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing responds to government announcement imposing limits on care workers bringing their spouses and children to the UK
Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse, Professor Nicola Ranger, said: “Ministers appear comfortable with tearing apart families to score political points. This cruel sanction will deter care workers from coming to the UK, adding to dire workforce shortages in social care and ultimately piling even more pressure on an overburdened NHS."
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03/12/2023
Press Release
Royal College of Nursing responds 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."
Page last updated - 22/03/2024
