Staffing for safe and effective care in England: Standing up for patient and public safety (RCN, October 2019)

Summary

This report describes the lack of clear roles, responsibilities and accountability for workforce planning and supply in England. In reality, this means that the health and care workforce is not growing in line with increasing population need for health and care services, and there are large numbers of vacant posts throughout the system. This impacts upon patient safety and outcomes, and leads to a challenging working environment for staff. To resolve this, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) make the case for this to be resolved through legislation, alongside additional investment in the nursing workforce and a national health and care workforce strategy for England.