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Press release: NHS Employers response to nursing consultation announcements

02 Nov 2007

In response to today's announcements that the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Department of Health are launching consultations into pre- and post-registration nursing education, NHS Employers deputy director Sian Thomas said:

'Nursing has not undergone a major review since the 1980s, and in this time the profession has continued to evolve. Nurses work at the highest levels of clinical decision-making in the NHS, as well as delivering the essentials of bedside care such as feeding and bathing. In areas such as mental health and chronic disease management, they have been at the forefront of extending practice and innovation.  The essentials of physical care need to remain at the heart of the profession, and we also need to create career opportunities that allow individuals to fulfil their maximum potential. It is therefore vital that NHS organisations can describe how they see nurses of the future working. 

'We welcome the opportunity these consultations will provide to explore key issues regarding both the education of nurses and how they work in the NHS. We hope to build on the progress nurses have been making towards providing the safest and highest standards of personalised care and improving NHS patient experience.

'The NHS Confederation and NHS Employers have carried out an extensive programme of work this year around medical training, the future of the medical workforce and the clinical vision for NHS reform. We aim to use the current consultations on nursing education and career pathways to carry out a similar project around nursing and will be consulting employers on their views on the future of nursing careers over the coming months.'

Notes for editors

Contact details

The press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers.

If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:

• Gemma Jeffcoate
  0207 074 3308 or gemma.jeffcoate@nhsemployers.org
• Emma Stafford
  0207 074 3307 or emma.stafford@nhsemployers.org

For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726.

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