King’s speech ‘fails to address nursing workforce crisis’
Posted 08 November 2023 - 11:33
Unions and others also criticise omission of safe staffing legislation, social care and mental health reform, and previous pledge to ban conversion therapy
The King’s speech failed to address the ‘crisis in the nursing workforce and NHS’ and how to significantly improve services for patients, health leaders have warned.
The King outlined prime minister Rishi Sunak’s proposed policies for the coming year in his first King’s speech on 7 November, but there was limited mention of reforms in the NHS and social care.
Speech mentions workforce plan and strikes
He said: ‘Working with NHS England, my government will deliver its plans to cut waiting lists and transform the long-term workforce of the National Health Service.
‘This will include delivering on the NHS workforce plan, the first long-term plan to train the doctors and nurses the country needs, and minimum service levels to prevent strikes from undermining patient safety.
‘Record levels of investment are expanding and transforming mental health services to ensure more people can access the support they need.’
Speech should have addressed safe staffing, says union
Responding to the speech, RCN chief nurse Nicola Ranger said: ‘The prime minister has failed to deliver legislation to address the crisis in the nursing workforce and our NHS, and patients will continue to pay the price until at least the next election.
‘The government should have used the King’s speech to address issues facing the healthcare workforce, including legislating for safe staffing. England is an outlier even within the UK now, and countries around the world are moving ahead with laws of this kind.’
‘This government has delivered nothing on social care’
Unison accused the government of not listening to what the country needs after the speech failed to include any plans for reforming social care.
The union’s general secretary Christina McAnea wrote in a blog: ‘This government has delivered nothing on social care and failed to protect care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their failure to help all those who need care is now a clear dereliction of a government’s first duty to protect its citizens.’
Further omissions include mental health reform and conversion therapy
The speech omitted any mention of reforms to the Mental Health Act – which was a 2019 Conservative election manifesto pledge. There was also no mention of a previously promised pledge to ban conversion therapy.
Professor Ranger said the RCN was ‘deeply concerned’ about the lack of progress on reforming the Mental Health Act.
‘It is also bitterly disappointing that the ban on sexual orientation and gender identity conversion therapy has been dropped. It's been five wasted years of hollow promises to ban these abhorrent practices that nursing staff know have no medical basis.’
‘Mental Health Act desperately needs updating’
NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor said health leaders would be ‘exasperated that mental health reform has again been kicked into the long grass’.
NHS Providers deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said it was a missed opportunity: ‘The 40-year-old Mental Health Act desperately needs updating so that patients can be at the heart of how they access care and treatment.’
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