Vote: General Election 2010. Nursing Counts
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As the Nursing counts campaign draws to a close, this short video shows just how much has been achieved:
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Nursing Counts
With an average of more than 1,800 nurses and health care assistants in each constituency there's no doubt that nursing counts
Our Priorities
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Standing up for staff who speak out
Nurses and healthcare staff need to be confident that their concerns over failures in patient care will be heard. All healthcare organisations should be required to hold a register of staff concerns that must be reported to their board regularly and made available to the public
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Safer staffing levels
To ensure nurses and other healthcare staff have the time needed to give patients the dignified care they deserve, there must be the right number and right balance of nursing staff on the wards. The RCN wants to see regular staffing reviews, which are then reported to trusts boards, to guarantee safe staffing numbers and the highest level of quality care for patients.
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Give nurses the time to train
Quality patient care needs healthcare workers who are continually trained to the highest level. All too often training budgets are under pressure or staff have to learn in their own time. Improved training and regulation for healthcare assistants and support workers must be a priority. The RCN is calling for the regulation of healthcare assistants and for every nurse and healthcare worker to have protected training time as part of their continuous professional development.
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Protect the nation's health
Specific resources need to be targeted at reducing health inequalities by providing public health information, tackling the root causes of ill health and promoting healthy lifestyles, with a particular focus on smoking, obesity and alcohol abuse. The RCN is calling for a single mandatory code to better regulate the drinks industry to minimise the dangers and healthcare costs associated with excessive drinking.
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Improve care for those with long term conditions
Improve care for patients with long-term conditions by supporting and investing in specialist nurses. The RCN is calling for every patient with a long term condition to have guaranteed access to specialist nursing care.
Tweet This Sustain health care investment
In order to ensure a first class health care system that delivers the highest level of care to patients, there needs to be sustained investment in services, staff and facilities. The RCN is calling for current levels of health care spending to be maintained in order to ensure patients continue to receive the care they deserve.
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Watch highlights from the launch of Frontline First
On Wednesday, over 100 RCN Activists gathered in RCN HQ for a special conference to launch Frontline First. Delegates heard from a range of key RCN staff including Chief Executive and General Secretary, Dr. Peter Carter, Head of Policy, Howard Catton and Head of Employment Relations, Josie Irwin.
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“Wherever nursing impacts on patient care, it’s the frontline”
Allow me to welcome you to the Frontline First website. As Chair of RCN Council, it makes me hugely proud to know that nursing staff up and down the UK will soon be standing up and sharing their experiences about cuts, waste and innovations.
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Thank You
This will be my last post onto the ‘Nursing counts’ website, as our campaign is drawing to a close. When we first launched this campaign in January, I could not have imagined just how powerful and exciting it would turn out to be.
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The New Government
A week after the General Election we now have our new government. For the first time since the Second World War there will be a Coalition Government in charge at Westminster. David Cameron, Leader of the Conservatives, is the Prime Minister and Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, is the Deputy Prime Minister.
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The Hung Parliament
As the results come in and the dust begins to settle its clear now that no one party has won enough seats to have an overall majority in the House of Commons. Whilst this isn’t unprecedented in British electoral history, it is certainly unusual. The civil service for the past few months have been preparing for what a hung parliament would mean. Whilst the parties have refused to discuss what they would do in the event of a hung parliament publicly we have to assume that they have been giving it serious thought, particularly since Nick Clegg did so well in the first Leaders debate.
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