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An infection control nurse looks out from a Covid-19 recovery ward at Craigavon Area Hospital in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland
THE government has ignored more than 20 warnings of a health and care staffing crisis, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said in a statement.
Alarms have been sounded at least 10 times in the last year alone, with numerous warnings made since 2016 while the NHS faces the real prospect of being unable to deliver its legal commitments, the union says.
Health policy experts, politicians and watchdogs have repeatedly flagged up the workforce crisis “engulfing” the sector, the RCN says, calling for changes to the Health and Care Bill going through Parliament to enable the issue to be tackled.
With 121,000 vacancies and 44.8% of staff feeling unwell from work stress, the NHS 10-year plan will not succeed unless the government takes immediate action to retain existing staff, writes ANNETTE MANSELL-GREEN
