QNI welcomes CPD funding announcement

The Queen’s Nursing Institute welcomes Simon Stevens’ announcement last week at the CNO summit that recent cuts to the funding of Continuing Professional Development for nurses will now be reversed.

It should be no surprise that cutting CPD in nursing, or indeed any profession, was likely to have a negative impact on recruitment and retention. Nurses are required to deliver ever more complex care to patients and this applies to all settings, including community and primary care, where nurses are often working autonomously. Initial nurse registration is the very start of a career which requires ongoing learning and development throughout, just like our medical colleagues.

To meet the needs of patients, families and carers in homes and communities, the Department of Health must do everything in its power to bring forward new funding to support nurses to achieve the skills, knowledge and levels of responsibility that the modern nursing role requires.

We also warmly welcome the pledge to support undergraduate nursing. Nursing is a fantastic profession and it is vital that we attract and support the best students to be the nurses of tomorrow. The future success of the NHS Long Term Plan absolutely depends on it.

Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, Chief Executive