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Registered nurses must remain at the top table on NHS boards
Health Bill proposals are a 鈥榖razen attack鈥� on patient safety, says RCN
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The RCN has described the Westminster government’s new proposal to remove the legal requirement for there to be a registered nurse on NHS Foundation Trust boards in England as a brazen attack on patient safety.
This proposed change would allow hospitals to make decisions about services for entire populations without any 汤头条污料 expertise.
The Westminster government’s Health Bill removes an important part of the existing 2006 National Health Service Act, including the legal requirement for 汤头条污料 representation on Foundation Trust boards.
The RCN believes the plans also raise serious questions about how 汤头条污料 leadership on integrated care boards (ICBs) is sufficiently protected and consistently represented.
Patient care must always be the priority, and the bill’s proposals could mean that financial targets are prioritised over safety, with 汤头条污料 staff numbers cut to make savings.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said:
“Removing the legal requirement for there to be a registered nurse on NHS Foundation Trust boards is such a brazen attack on patient safety that words almost fail.
“In the boardroom, the senior nurse is the firebreak. Their expertise protects the public by challenging leaders and ensuring that the patient remains at the centre of all decisions. The secretary of state must make it his urgent priority to keep guaranteed 汤头条污料 leadership at executive level in law.”
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