Blog

At RCN Congress this week, an inspiring event highlighted the value of nurses evidencing the economic and clinical impact of nurse-led service innovation.

Short sighted cuts to the nursing workforce are still taking place across the NHS despite being identified as an important factor in the catastrophic failings at Mid Staffordshire, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

A packed evening event at Congress heard about the incredible success in the RCN South West region against the now infamous pay cartel.

Read Dr Peter Carter's piece in today's edition of The Mirror in response to Jeremy Hunt's comments yesterday about the need for more nurses

The South West pay cartel has put a statement on their website saying that the work of the cartel has concluded. The campaign by the RCN and other unions has been successful in diverting the pay cartel from their original intention to implement local pay systems across the South West region.

The Royal College of Nursing welcomes the statement from the South West Pay Terms and Conditions Consortium (South West pay cartel), which confirms that its work has concluded. Their final report recommends that trusts work to implement national pay, terms and conditions. South West trust boards are meeting during March and April to consider the pay cartel’s report and its recommendations.

Improving the quality of life for patients with complex healthcare problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been just one of the many benefits realised by the introduction of an integrated respiratory service in the community, led by Alison Graham.

The latest report issued by the South West pay, terms and conditions consortium (South West pay cartel) last week, sets out proposals for trust boards involved to consider in order to sustain long term viability. It takes into account latest national developments relating to NHS pay, terms and conditions, and the financial challenges for trusts.

The Royal College of Nursing has described an agreement to amend the Agenda for Change (AfC) contract in England as the "most effective way" to protect it as a national pay and rewards system. Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said the present political and economic climate was taken into account and pragmatic action has been taken for the benefit of NHS staff, RCN members and ultimately, patients.

What a brilliant day! On Saturday I joined more than 500 nurses, midwives, health care assistants, their families and friends as we marched through the streets of St Helier, Jersey. We were marching because after more than a year of stalled negotiations and broken promises we finally received a pay offer that members then rejected.

Trusts at the centre of mortality rate investigations have earmarked thousands of jobs to be cut, the Royal College of Nursing has revealed.

February is National Heart Month, and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is pleased to reaffirm support for the RCN’s Frontline First campaign to protect spending on specialist nurses and other frontline staff.

RCN Council made an important decision today in the journey to secure the national framework for pay, terms and conditions – Agenda for Change (AfC). As many of you will know, the RCN (along with the other health unions) embarked on a key consultation towards the end of 2012. We had seen what can happen when local employers get together to erode the pay of our members, most noticeably in the South West of England, and we knew we needed to sit down with employers on the national stage. We worked hard to negotiate a series of changes that, if agreed, would secure AfC and seek to avoid instances of regional pay.

An investigation by the Sunday Telegraph has found that hospitals are hiring agency nurses at rates of up to £1,800 a day to fill staffing shortages. The investigation found that the bill for agency workers has risen by 20 per cent in the last year. The Sunday Telegraph article mentions that the RCN told them that employment agencies have been able to increase their rates because of staff shortages, with 6,000 fewer nurses in the NHS than in 2010.

The RCN's Agenda for Change member questionnaire will close on January 18th. Follow links below to complete yours before the deadline.

Keyhole surgery may not be something you immediately associate with a nurse, but that is exactly what Louize Ainsworth performs in the highly innovative Nurse Led Carpal Tunnel Service she and her team have developed over the past ten years at NHS Stockport.

A new RCN film explains the proposed changes to Agenda for Change (AfC) and outlines the consultation process to RCN members. The RCN, along with other NHS trade unions, has been negotiating with employers around the proposed changes. Unions have been forced to negotiate changes as they faced the possibility of employers moving away from a national framework and towards regional agreements.

The RCN is asking members like you to take part in a consultation on Agenda for Change. You’ll learn more about how you can get involved in the coming weeks but in the meantime, I want to share the background to why we are having to consider changes, what they mean and why the decision is so important. The RCN, alongside the other NHS trade unions, has been involved in difficult and protracted negotiations with employers about national terms and conditions for NHS staff - Agenda for Change - (AfC) since 2009. This has been set against the background of the financial and economic crisis and the devastating impact this is having on public finances, let alone the NHS frontline.

The RCN will be marching in Bristol on Saturday 1 December to protest against moves by the South West Pay Cartel towards regional pay.

Breast Cancer Care explains why it's backing the Frontline First campaign, following a busy Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There are more than half a million people in the UK today who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and every year another 46,000 people will hear the shocking news that they have the disease. While survival rates are increasing, 12,000 people still die from breast cancer each year and our survival rates - particularly for the over 70s, do not compare well with other wealthy European countries.