NEWS

NEIL O’CONNOR

LIB DEM CANDIDATE CALLS ON RIVAL PARTIES KEY FIGURES MEET TO REMOVE POLITICS FROM RUNNING OF NHS TO DISCUSS SHAPE Former health minister and Liberal Democrat candidate Norman Lamb, pictured, has called on his political rivals to back the creation of a non-partisan NHS commission after the general election. Speaking during a health and care debate in London, organised by think tank the King’s Fund, he said the need to remove politics from the NHS was ‘overwhelming and urgent’. ‘We need to recognise the scale of this challenge and come to the table to form a non-partisan NHS commission for health and care to engage with the public, clinicians, patient groups and trade unions. We need to take the politics out of the NHS.’ Health secretary Jeremy Hunt, shadow health secretary Andy

Burnham, and UK Independence Party deputy health spokesperson Julia Reid also took part in the debate. All candidates agreed the NHS needs to move towards a more integrated model, combining health and social care. But there was disagreement over how a predicted £30 billion shortfall in NHS finances in five years’ time would be addressed. The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have pledged £8 billion and set out plans to recoup the remaining £22 billion in cuts. Labour has stopped short of committing to the full £8 billion, but has promised an additional £2.5 billion in its first year if elected. Addressing audience members drawn from a wide range of healthcare settings, Mr Lamb said it was time to ‘bury our differences’ and find a new settlement for the NHS away from politics.

OF CARING REVIEW

More than 50 senior nursing and education figures gathered at RCN headquarters last week to share their views on the recently published Shape of Caring review – Raising the Bar. RCN head of education Stephanie Aiken told delegates that the college had been heavily involved in the Shape of Caring review and would play a key role in the future. The event, she said, was designed to explore how the RCN could support colleagues to implement some of the recommendations in the report, which was published by Lord Willis of Knaresborough last month. Some of the ideas to emerge from the roundtable discussions included the importance of having a four-country perspective as well as the vital role the RCN should play in asking policymakers difficult questions. A full consultation with RCN members will be conducted in due course, Dr Aiken said.

Labour pledges to boost nursing numbers immediately Universities with oversubscribed nursing courses will be asked to reopen admissions next month if Labour wins the general election, as part of an emergency recruitment drive. Labour leader Ed Miliband announced the move as part of the party’s plan to tackle the staffing crisis by boosting the number of nurse training places in a speech at Manchester Metropolitan University last week. ‘Two thirds of nurses say patients are missing out on care because there are not enough nurses on the wards, and one in three NHS trusts were investigated last year because of concerns over safe staffing,’ he said. In 2014, 30,000 prospective students were turned down because of a lack of places, he added. The emergency recruitment drive is the first part of a

to see a detailed plan for training more nurses immediately. ‘A long-term workforce plan for the NHS is only possible if we have enough trained nurses to cope with the increasing demand,’ added Dr Carter. ‘We know there is no shortage of potential nurses and we need the political will to train them and provide a ONE IN THREE NHS TRUSTS homegrown workforce that can WERE INVESTIGATED LAST YEAR cope with future demands.’ Labour’s manifesto outlines BECAUSE OF CONCERNS OVER that the recruitment of 20,000 SAFE STAFFING – Ed Miliband more nurses, half of whom will be newly trained, will tackle the spiralling agency staff bill that is notice, if places are made available then ‘contributing to the financial crisis so we will work with the NHS to get as many hospital trusts are facing’. many suitable candidates as possible on As part of its Time to Care Fund, to courses.’ Labour would achieve an average of RCN general secretary Peter Carter said: ‘The NHS is under immense pressure 21,000 nurse training places a year during the next parliament. from the shortage of nurses so it is good plan to boost the number of nurses by 20,000. Council of Deans of Health chair Professor Dame Jessica Corner said: ‘We are all living with the legacy of short-sighted cuts to the number of nursing students. Although it will be a stretch to recruit students at such short

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Labour pledges to boost nursing numbers immediately.

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