The findings related to serious and widespread problems in the NHS, and the grave consequences for patients, families and committed NHS staff, aren’t news to nurses and midwives. We welcome the acknowledgement that nurses and midwives have, for many years, been working in increasingly challenging circumstances. The many nurses and midwives we engage with every year are committed to providing outstanding leadership and achieving excellence, sometimes in circumstances that have now been clearly described as intolerable.
The report rightly highlights that the NHS will not turn the corner without significant investment in developing its clinical and non-clinical leaders. Yet for too long this has been neglected. Without deliberate efforts to build and nurture leadership capabilities at every level, the ambitious goals for recovery and transformation will remain out of reach. We call for leadership development to be a central part of the Government’s new 10 year plan for the NHS. The work of transforming the NHS is urgent but it cannot be achieved without nurses and midwives, the largest NHS health force, the NHS must invest in their leadership. FNF re-pledges its commitment and support to the nurse and midwife leaders who will be at the heart of any successful recovery to improve the care and services patients, service users and communities deserve.
The Lord Darzi report can be found here.