Dame Donna Kinnair, Acting Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, commenting ahead of the release of the NHS Long Term Plan, said:
“Nurses and other professionals in the NHS share this level of ambition and the RCN welcomes a plan that keeps the NHS a world leader and true to its roots.
“But, when existing services are already under strain, NHS staff are waiting for a further plan to address the extra staff needed to keep care at the highest quality.
“The NHS in England is already short of more than 40,000 nurses and the figure is rising. NHS England and the Government must urgently address these chronic shortages to make the plan the success it deserves to be.
“If the NHS is to better meet the needs of patients and the public, in these important areas of mental illness, cancer and long-term conditions, it must recognise the value of the highly skilled and qualified nursing workforce and the harsh realities on the NHS frontline.”
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