Editorial: Accentuate the positive for 2017

Few of us will forget the momentous events of 2016 – a remarkable year on so many fronts.

Brexit, a new prime minister and the election of Donald Trump as US president stand out as defining events, but there have also been less dramatic developments that will have a profound impact on the future of nursing.

These include the decisions to charge nursing students tuition fees and remove their bursaries, the introduction of the nursing associate role, and imposing yet more pay restraints on NHS staff.

A better deal

The challenge for 2017 will be to remain upbeat in the face of these changes, and to seize opportunities rather than be demotivated by threats. So here’s a positive spin on how next year and those that follow might play out.

Charging students to become nurses should give universities more money to improve the quality of training. The nursing associate role could lead to a large part of the healthcare support workforce being upskilled and regulated. The reduction in overseas recruitment that presumably will follow Brexit should reduce the need for UK employers to pillage other countries that can ill afford to lose staff they have paid to train.

And finally: if students are to qualify with debt, the difference between registered nurses and their associate colleagues is to be made clear, and the country is to grow more nursing staff of its own, then surely that must mean a better pay deal. We can live in hope!