Commenting on the progress report by NHS England on the testing of new clinical standards for the NHS, Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said:
“Not only the public but nursing staff too will back the sensible approach of treating the sickest patients first. As hospitals come under more and more pressure, it’s right that the NHS reviews the effectiveness of its longstanding treatment targets.
“Nurses will support new, more stringent standards for those with a mental illness, such as assessment at A&E within an hour for people in a mental health crisis, while the new target for people with symptoms of cancer to be given a diagnosis or the all-clear within 28 days was called for by cancer experts four years ago.
“However, these changes, alongside the replacement of the four hour A&E target, hinge on there being enough staff there to deliver them. In A&E, for example, this will mean having enough nurses to help achieve the ‘early initial assessment’ of patients arriving that the new standard promises.
"There are currently more than 43,000 nursing vacancies in England, the highest figure ever - unless there is significant investment in the nursing workforce to try to fill these posts, the new targets across busy emergency departments, cancer units, and mental health settings are likely to continue to be missed.
“The true test for these new measures, particularly in A&E, will be how they stand up to a tough winter, and NHS England must continue to listen to honest feedback from nurses on the frontline”.
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