The UK picture
In England there is no law related to nurse staffing.
The RCN is campaigning for legislation to guarantee nurse staffing levels in England across all sectors and settings.
The Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 was the first of its kind in the UK.
RCN Wales continues to campaign to protect patient care and empower the ward sister/charge nurse by advocating for the extension of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 to children inpatient wards, mental health inpatient wards, community and care home settings.
In May 2019 the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act became law.
The RCN is now focused on monitoring how the law is implemented and making sure it achieves its aims.
RCN members in Northern Ireland are currently undertaking a programme of industrial action to demand measures promoting safe nurse staffing and pay equality.
The global pandemic has brought into sharp focus many of the issues facing Scotland’s nursing workforce. Issues that the Royal College of Nursing has been highlighting for years.
10 Nov 2020
RCN and other unions warn exhausted workers could quit their jobs after second wave of COVID-19.
7 Nov 2020
The government must make decisions about NHS service provision based on available numbers of nursing staff and what they can safely maintain.
23 Sep 2020
New report highlights the need for action to address stress and burnout in the profession.
17 Sep 2020
The RCN is calling for urgent action to address the shortage of nursing staff across the health and care system. This includes giving nursing staff a meaningful pay rise.
28 Aug 2020
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today launches its ‘Fair Pay for Nursing’ campaign to demand a 12.5% pay rise for nursing staff across the UK.
RCN Wales responds to the publication of a new report by the NMC on its annual registration data between April 2019 to March 2020
Commenting in response to today’s publication of a strategic framework for rebuilding HSC services, Pat Cullen, Director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Northern Ireland said:
15 May 2020
The guidelines aim to ensure the NHS can continue to operate a safety-first approach as lockdown restrictions ease.
18 Apr 2020
Our survey reveals thousands of nursing professionals from across the UK are being asked to work without the right personal protective equipment (PPE) or to reuse single-use items.
Each month you'll receive an email with a quick and easy online action you can take to help us make sure we have safe staffing levels in England.
