House of Lords select committee to hear evidence on NHS pressures

Nursing workforce expert and RCNi editorial advisory board member James Buchan will give evidence to the House of Lords select committee on the long-term sustainability of the NHS.

The committee will explore pressures on NHS staff, skills needed in the NHS over the next 20 years, and risks posed by low staff morale.

Professor Buchan, who is based at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University, will give evidence on 8 November alongside representatives from Unite, Unison, the British Medical Association, the Nuffield Trust and the Department of Health.

Range of issues

There will be two evidence sessions and the first will include questions on what changes will be required to the skills mix of NHS staff to meet the challenges of an ageing population and the drive for greater efficiencies, and whether the NHS is likely to have enough clinical staff by 2030.

Questions in the second session will cover the impact of recent pay restraint in the NHS, levels of staff morale and whether the government’s ambition to radically change how care is delivered can be carried out by the existing workforce.

The select committee was appointed in May this year and is due to report back by the end of March 2017.

Pay levels

In September, health unions including the RCN gave evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body (RB), which will make recommendations on nurses’ pay levels to the government for 2017-18.

The RCN evidence highlighted issues including nursing shortages, the removal of student bursaries, staff morale, recruitment and retention, and the possible impact of Brexit on the profession.

The college wants the RB to recommend removing the 1%-a-year pay award restriction.