Responding to the Care Quality Commission’s annual State of Care report, Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse, Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“From the cradle to the grave, this report reveals the shocking state of care. Across maternity, social care, mental health and acute settings, the whole system is in turmoil.
“Health and care services can no longer be there for us when we need them. This is the damning consequence of ignoring nursing staff and not listening to their warnings about services they work in every day.
“A chasm of inequality is growing in accessing care - with more people being forced to go private simply to get treatment. This has been a long time coming but fixing it must come quickly.
“At the heart of the issue is the crisis in the workforce. There aren’t enough nursing staff, meaning those in the system are spread too thin, unable to give the outstanding patient care they strive to deliver.
“If the government values and invests in nursing, patients will get the care they need and deserve. Staff must be paid fairly and students incentivised to join the profession rather than be put off by the prospect of huge debt.
“Politicians on all sides should hear the alarm bell ringing. They can begin to improve services by investing in the nursing workforce. If you protect nursing, you protect the public.”
Ends
