The NHS needs more money

A REPORT by the Royal College of Nursing has found that there are not enough nurses to safely care for patients.

This echoes what we have long been saying regarding the devastating impact staff shortages are having on the delivery of patient care in the NHS.

The current recruitment and retention crisis across the health service is a direct result of years of chronic underfunding as nurses and doctors feel increasingly overstretched and undervalued.

As doctors heavily rely on nurses as part of a multi-professional workforce, in a hospital and community setting, an inadequate nursing workforce affects the quality of care all staff can provide for patients.

The government must move beyond the pattern of short-sighted cuts, and instead deliver the long-term investment necessary to ensure an NHS that is collaborative, supportive and cares for its patients.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul Chairman, British Medical

Association Council