Responding to the Autumn Statement, Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse, Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“This statement was short-sighted, not long-term. The NHS faces a multi-billion pound deficit - giving away at least £5 billion in tax cuts in place of health spending confirms the NHS is no longer a priority for the government.
“The public sector cuts the Chancellor wants instead will mean even longer waits, more patients treated in corridors and perilous staffing levels here to stay. The real inefficiency to tackle is spending money on expensive agencies because you won’t invest in your own workforce – too few in education and poor pay and conditions pushing good people out. An extra £2 per shift from January will not turn this around.
“Jeremy Hunt squandered the opportunity to change course ahead of the next election and to support the NHS through the immensely tough winter on the horizon. Nursing staff are stretched too thin - caring for 10, 15 or more patients at a time. Our health service needed an urgent cash injection and instead it was entirely forgotten.”
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