A staggering 32,000 student nurses might abandon their courses by the end of the next parliament, a figure sufficient to fill all current nursing vacancies within the NHS in England, according to new analysis released by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
Professor Nicola Ranger, the RCN’s current Chief Nursing Officer and Deputy General Secretary and Chief Executive, will take on responsibility as Acting RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive in the interim.
RCN members met with Health Secretary Victoria Atkins to discuss critical issues in nursing, including staffing, pay disparities, and the ethical recruitment of overseas staff, seeking stronger commitments from the government.
RCN pushes for nursing pay structure reform, highlighting undervaluation and workforce crisis, aiming for significant changes since Agenda for Change.