Download RCN responds to the Queen`s Speech

For immediate release: Wednesday 21 June
RCN responds to the Queen's Speech
Janet Davies, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, responding to
the Queen's Speech, said:
“Theresa May had an opportunity to show that she had listened to public concern over the future of
the NHS. By scarcely mentioning its patients and workforce today, the Government made clear that
nothing will change.
"Nursing staff and others across the NHS hoped to hear a new tone. Theresa May's below-inflation
cap on their pay does nothing to help fill the 40,000 vacant nurse jobs in England. It should have
been scrapped today.
"Hospitals and community services are already short of the nursing staff needed to provide safe
care. They are being driven out by poor pay and the unprecedented strain. Health and care services
must fast become a priority for this Government.
"We will look closely at today's announcements on mental health and social care but the rhetoric
needs to be matched with cash. These promises would have been easier to deliver if thousands of
mental health nurses had been able to stay in their jobs in recent years.
“Next week, the Royal College of Nursing will launch a summer-long protest, calling on the
Government to scrap the 1 per cent pay cap. Patients, as well as nurses' families, pay a heavy price.
Nursing staff are at least £3,000 a year worse off than in 2010 - a pay award that is deliberately held
below inflation is in fact a pay cut. Theresa May must scrap it before the summer is out."
Ends
Notes to Editors
1.
For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 020 7647 3633, [email protected] or
visit https://www.rcn.org.uk/about-us/press-office
2.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest
professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients
on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK
Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and
voluntary organisations.