PRESS RELEASE : Royal College of Nursing responds to the latest NHS England vacancy statistics and urgent and emergency care daily situation report [December 2022]
The press release issued by the RCN on 1 December 2022.
Responding to the latest NHS England vacancy statistics and urgent and emergency care daily situation report, RCN Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said:
“With more than 13,000 patients a day stuck in hospitals because the community and social care they need to be safely discharged is unavailable, it’s easy to see why health and care is at breaking point.
“Combined with a record 47,000 nurse vacancies across the NHS in England, this is precisely the reason why our members have decided to strike – because the workforce gaps and being underpaid have made care unsafe.
“Ministers have repeatedly ignored our calls to address the workforce crisis and to put serious investment in nursing, including fair pay.
“They’ve also dismissed our offer of serious negotiations on pay and patient safety – unless the health secretary changes course 100,000 nurses will be walking out in two weeks’ time.”
