Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why nurses must help lead the NHS

Dr. Ben Janaway
Policy
March 22, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

The NHS is robust. And part of that is due to the passion of its workforce. Since its beginning in 1948, the service has met each new challenge with vigor. But never before has it’s existence been under such threat. And with it, the safety of a nation. And there is no one more qualified to save it than those who fight on the frontline. I sat down with Wendy Preston, head of nursing practice at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to learn how nurses can save the NHS.

Nurses are leaders

Wendy is inspirational. Dissatisfied with the limitations of patient care, she chose to take a senior role in designing new ways to help them. In her tenure as head of nursing practice, she has prioritized innovation as the key. And she is under no illusion that Nurses are well placed to deliver. She told me:

Nurses are leaders of patient care. We coordinate with social care and hospitals and act as an advocate for our patients. Sometimes this means putting new ideas forward to solve problems. The job reflects innovation, and we need the right people to do the job. Nurses lead local policy.

But with cuts to funding, record nurses leaving the profession and care increasingly privatized, innovation must be met with commitment. And in this case, investment. Wendy believes that all nurses can lead, and with the proper training, that their input could be invaluable. Designing new policies with such expertise and experience could be the solution to a rapidly worsening problem. She said:

We have a fantastic NHS, and we want to look after it. But we need funding. At the moment we do innovation on our own time, working extra unpaid hours. We have the power to lead, but need the apparatus to do it. 

Nurses are experts

With the frontline so stretched, nurses are expected to care for patients and improve services. This is no easy feat, and requires self-sacrifice. But the combination of huge coal face experience met with savvy, and a business mind means a nurse can see the bigger picture. And who better to tell us what that means than campaigner and nurse Danielle Tiplady. She told me:

We work on the front line and see the end results of government policy. We know what works and what doesn’t. We are degree trained, highly skilled and work with evidence. We are also the biggest workforce and know the patient from hospital to home.

But regardless of their expertise, it seems that the opportunities for nurses aren’t reflective of their potential. Low pay, inflexibility and work commitments prevent nurses from even being able to enter the race to making big change. But when you see Nurses like Wendy and Danielle, it’s clear that the NHS could benefit. Danielle said:

What we need to get nurses into senior positions is a change in wider society. We need to feel empowered, not demoralized, to make a change. We can’t afford to take on extra training.

The saving grace

At about four years old I was sent to hospital. I have little memory of the stay, but one that stands out is the familiar uniform at my bedside. I was confused and scared, but this kind lady went a long way to reassuring a young child that everything would be OK. And my experience is just one of millions, be they young, old, dying or recovering, the reliable face of caring nurses works wonders.

But nurses are not simply a warm hand. Modern nurses are leaders, patient advocates and stoic bulwarks against system failure. Their dedication to using their knowledge to improve services is a no-brainer for designing future policy.  The current issue with NHS design is a lack of accountability, bureaucrats behind closed doors. A genuinely open democracy mandates the inclusion of the workforce, and nurses are perfectly placed to have say.

So the answer is obvious. With a proven track record of patient care, leadership skills and a passion next to none, nurses are fundamental to saving the NHS. It’s time we took their knowledge and placed it where it belongs, driving the NHS toward ventures practical and life-saving. And that means focussing time, money and trust in the nurses who strive every day.

And as any four year old would know, sometimes when you are scared, you need heroes.

ADVERTISEMENT

I would bet on Wendy and Danielle any day.

Ben Janaway is a physician in the United Kingdom.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

This physician is financially savvy. This is who he has to thank.

March 22, 2018 Kevin 0
…
Next

Physician speakers are ready to highlight your conference: Spring 2018 update

March 22, 2018 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
This physician is financially savvy. This is who he has to thank.
Next Post >
Physician speakers are ready to highlight your conference: Spring 2018 update

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Nurses Week. Always and forever.

    Debbie Moore-Black, RN
  • Where is the nurses’ lounge?

    Trisha Swift, DNP, RN
  • I speak for the nurses

    Emily Weston, FNP-C, RN
  • Nurses aren’t commodities

    Sarah E. Jorgensen, RN
  • 3 ways health care leadership can get nurses back at the bedside

    Juli Heitman, RN
  • Doctors need to lead the way on divestment from fossil fuels

    Mona Sarfaty, MD, MPH

More in Policy

  • How locum tenens work helps physicians and APPs reclaim control

    Brian Sutter
  • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

    Ilan Shapiro, MD
  • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ laws

    BJ Ferguson
  • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

    Carlin Lockwood
  • What Adam Smith would say about America’s for-profit health care

    M. Bennet Broner, PhD
  • The lab behind the lens: Equity begins with diagnosis

    Michael Misialek, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician
    • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician
    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Finding healing in narrative medicine: When words replace silence

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Why coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Why doctors stay silent about preventable harm

      Jenny Shields, PhD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician
    • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician
    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Finding healing in narrative medicine: When words replace silence

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Why coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Why doctors stay silent about preventable harm

      Jenny Shields, PhD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why nurses must help lead the NHS
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...