‘Absolutely Vital’ For Nursing Staff To Be Valued And Supported During Coming Months, Says NHS Employers

Responding to the findings of an RCN survey showing an increase in nursing staff thinking of leaving the profession, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said:

“There can be no disputing the enormous contribution our nursing colleagues have made during the COVID-19 pandemic, and indeed, throughout their professional lives, to care for our communities. It’s therefore absolutely vital that they are properly valued and supported during this next period, as they continue both to respond to the pandemic and restore non-COVID services.

“We continue to face long-term shortages across the nursing workforce, and at a time when the NHS is extremely vulnerable, we can ill-afford to lose vital members of our teams. As we look to reset the NHS in the wake of the pandemic, the local and national focus of the imminent People Plan must be on both encouraging more people to join the nursing profession through the various routes available and on retaining the staff we have by supporting their wellbeing, and investing in them and their futures.”