The RCN is campaigning for guaranteed access to specialist nursing care for all patients with long term conditions.
The call comes as the RCN joins forces with almost 40 of the UK's leading health organisations to warn that cutting specialist nurse services for people with long term conditions would be a 'false economy' and a new RCN survey has revealed that more than a third of respondents have already seen reductions of specialist nurses as health care providers prepare for cutbacks.
The survey of nearly 300 charities, voluntary organisations and specialist nurses, shows 36 per cent have seen reductions in funding for specialist nursing posts, mainly by freezing vacancies or transferring specialist staff to general clinical roles. It is feared reduced funding could cause a repeat of the 2005/2006 NHS deficit crisis, where specialist nurses were among the first to be cut.
In its general election manifesto, the RCN says access to specialist nursing for patients with long-term conditions improves standards of care and saves money. For example, a Parkinson's specialist nurse in Harlow saved £80,000 by reversing an increase in hospital admissions.
RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter says: “Whoever wins the next election will need to demonstrate a commitment to save not just these posts, but the skills and experience of the people who fill them. Nurses realise that whoever wins the next election will be looking to make savings and to deliver more for less. While the temptation may be to cut or downgrade specialist nursing roles, this would be a false economy which would only add to the growing cost of treating long term conditions. In fact, specialist nurses save money through the better management of conditions, keeping patients out of hospital, and advising on the best drug and other treatments."
The MS Trust has supported the call by the RCN for greater investment in specialist nurses to support people with long-term conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS).
MS specialist nurses are vital in coordinating the many different aspects of care required by people with MS and in a recent MS Trust survey, completed by more than 300 people, the MS nurse was identified as the most valued provider of care.
Chief Executive Pam Macfarlane, said "The MS Trust was the first organisation to show the benefits of MS specialist nurses and we have continued to campaign for more specialist posts since 1998. We strongly support the call made by the RCN."
Asthma UK's comment on the RCN's ‘Nursing Counts' campaign came from Simon Selo, Director of Policy and Services at Asthma UK. He said: ‘Every seven minutes in the UK, a person is rushed to hospital fighting for breath as a result of their asthma, yet we know that around 75% of emergency admissions could be avoided if people with asthma had better day to day control of their condition. Specialist asthma nurses play a pivotal role in helping both adults and children to understand and manage asthma, so that they stay well and out of hospital. This includes developing and maintaining a relationship with them, advising on how to use medicines, addressing fears and concerns, providing guidance on how to avoid triggers, as well as educating them on the use of essential self-management tools such as asthma action plans. It's therefore vital that funding for these posts is maintained and that healthcare professionals supporting people with asthma receive sufficient training to fulfil their roles.'