Workforce shortages: real changes nurses want to see

Nursing Times

Gemma Mitchell

December 5, 2023

Better pay, more support for staff and student wellbeing, and further investment in professional development are among the pledges nurses want to see included in a political manifesto to address workforce issues in the profession.

Nursing staff and students have shared their views for the first chapter of the Manifesto by Nurses, which is being created by Nursing Times ahead of the upcoming general election, expected to take place at some point during 2024.

Our manifesto will comprise solutions, from nurses on the ground, to some of the biggest issues in nursing specifically, and in health and social care more generally.

Each month, we will shine a light on a different topic and, by the time the general election is called, we hope to have A Manifesto by Nurses that we will deliver to the main political parties that are aiming to form the next government.

The first subject we have focused on is often considered the most pressing problem for the sector – namely, nursing workforce shortages.

We have spoken to nursing staff and students at all levels across the UK on what pledges they would want to see from politicians to address this long-standing challenge, which successive governments have failed to fix.

These include:

• Better pay for nurses

• Action to stop violence and discrimination against nurses

• Greater investment in nurse wellbeing and continuing professional development

• More school outreach to inspire young people into nursing

• Encouraging more men into nursing

• Devolving more decision-making power to frontline nurses

• Funding to back NHS Long Term Workforce Plan

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