Specialist nursing under pressure from cuts

Nearly two-thirds of specialist nurses have reported seeing cutbacks in their speciality, despite Government pledges to protect NHS spending.

A Royal College of Nursing survey of 777 specialist nurses shows that 62% are seeing cutbacks in their specialty and 38% are having to cover staff shortages outside their specialist area.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN chief executive and general secretary, said: “Innovative nurse-led schemes, which not only improve patient care but also save money, are the future of the NHS. They provide high quality care and many of them could easily be rolled out across the health service, saving millions of pounds. In many instances, care can be best managed by community-based services, with as little hospital involvement as possible.

“The demand for their services is growing all the time – a recent survey showed that referrals have gone from 250,000 in 2006 to 1.2 million in 2010. Given that more and more people are living for many years with conditions such as cancer, the NHS should be prioritising the care which patients find so valuable, especially as it saves so much money.”