Investment in nursing key to achieving NHS 18-week target, says RCN in response to new Institute for Fiscal Studies modelling

Responding to the new modelling from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said:  

“Nursing staff deliver the vast majority of care and are key to treating more patients, but the reality is we are short of tens of thousands with burnout rife across the profession. Unless investment arrives to make sure we have enough staff to meet demand, ministers will likely fall short of their target. 

“Meeting these targets also means reducing demand, with enough nursing staff in the community to treat people in their homes and keep them off waiting lists in the first place. Yet, the number of district nurses, health visitors and school nurses have collapsed over the last 15 years. Without game-changing investment to make the shift from hospital to community a reality, meeting these targets will be unrealistic.”