Responding to the new report from the Health and Social Care Committee, RCN Chief Nursing Officer Lynn Woolsey, said:
“Health visitors, school nurses and other vital staff in our communities are critical for giving babies, children and young people the best start in life. Yet these specialist, safety-critical nurses have seen their workforce numbers collapse over the last decade.
“The failure to invest in nursing has had devastating consequences for the health of our children and young people, which is carried into adulthood. Every missed intervention puts child development at risk, allowing health to deteriorate and putting even more pressure on already overwhelmed hospitals.
“The government’s ambitions to move to a prevention and community-first model of care are the right ones. This report shows just how urgent action is needed and how important nursing will be to achieve this. The upcoming workforce plan must include clear funded targets to grow the health visiting and school nursing workforce and be supported by long term sustainable investment.”
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Notes to editors
