On Sunday, it will be 72 years since the NHS opened its doors to patients. Health care professionals across the UK came together to provide free care for all.
It was a bold and ambitious plan – and one that has changed the shape of our health and care system ever since. It wasn’t long before we were welcoming nursing staff from the Caribbean and across the world into our NHS too.
The diversity of our workforce today reflects the diversity of the patients and communities we serve. And we should all be very proud of that.
Of course, this year there will be a different dimension to the NHS celebrations. I know you all continue to work tirelessly to give your patients the care they need during this pandemic.
The last few months have made it clear that things need to change for our profession. While staff have returned to practice and some students have entered the workforce early, we know that we do not have enough nursing staff to provide the care our population needs in the longer term.
There is remarkable and innovative nursing-led care across our health and care sector. In care homes, in the community, in GP surgeries and in the third sector too. Not only during this pandemic but day in, day out, year after year.
But too often, staff are forced to paper over the cracks of an understaffed system. We desperately need to grow our domestic workforce – before the pandemic there were more than 40,000 unfilled nursing posts in the NHS in England alone.
It would be unsustainable to rely on international recruitment to help us plug the gaps forever. And in the context of a global pandemic, as well as global workforce shortages, over-reliance would likely also be unethical.
The government must ensure a sufficient UK-educated supply of nursing staff to meet the changing needs of patients and the public. In England, we need significant investment to grow the numbers of degree-educated nurses coming through the university system.
And we need ongoing investment in CPD throughout our careers, so that we can meet the changing needs of our patients and face future challenges, like we have faced with COVID-19.
This pandemic has shone a spotlight on nursing with the public and policy makers. We need bold action to protect the future of our profession – and we need it now.
UK governments must show their appreciation and support for nursing by taking the necessary steps to protect and invest in our profession, the NHS and the wider health and care system.
All our nursing students must be given the financial support needed to gain their degrees and enter the profession. And our existing nursing staff should be properly valued with adequate staffing levels and pay and terms and conditions which properly reflect their value, and their skill.
I hope those of you who work for the NHS, and those of you outside it too, can take time on 5 July to be proud of your work in our amazing profession. And I hope that UK governments will also start to take meaningful steps to show us that we are truly valued.
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Looking back at the NHS.
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