Politicians must listen, learn and act now to achieve safe staffing
The latest report from the Public Accounts Committee severely criticises senior health service leaders.
It says the gap between the number of clinical staff healthcare providers said they needed and the number of staff in post was around 50,000 in 2014.
It adds that the Department of Health (DH) and its arm’s-length bodies provide ineffective leadership and support, giving trusts conflicting messages on how to balance safe staffing with the need to make efficiency savings.
Unison’s annual snapshot of nurse staffing shows a continuous reduction in senior nurse leaders and front line staff, and the nursing profession being decimated from top to bottom.
Senior nurse leaders at the DH are being cut, and the chief nursing officer for England is not even on the board.
The merger of Monitor and the Trust Development Authority has resulted in the loss of a senior nurse leader, and
...Want to read more?
Unlock full access to RCNi Plus today
Save over 50% on your first three months:
- Customisable clinical dashboard featuring 200+ topics
- Unlimited online access to all 10 RCNi Journals including Nursing Standard
- RCNi Learning featuring 180+ RCN accredited learning modules
- NMC-compliant RCNi Portfolio to build evidence for revalidation
- Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
This article is not available as part of an institutional subscription. Why is this?
