‘Only with your experiences will the huge task of rebuilding the health service be possible’

For nurses around the country, and the millions who rely on their care, change can’t come soon enough. Whether it’s district nurses dealing with the strain of huge caseloads; ward staff struggling to provide basic, dignified care; or those working in mental health, reacting to the growing epidemic in their field. They can’t wait any longer.

"When the Conservatives came into office 13 years ago, public satisfaction with the NHS was the highest it had ever been. But now the outlook is bleak almost everywhere"

Many Unison branches in England and Wales are currently running the union’s Only Enough is Enough campaign, surveying nurses and midwives on staffing levels after every shift and demanding from their employers enough staff with enough time to provide safe, dignified patient care. Early results confirm what reps and branches have said – that time and again staffing levels are unsafe and help isn’t there when it’s needed.

It’s clear this is occurring far and wide. When the Conservatives came into office 13 years ago, public satisfaction with the NHS was the highest it had ever been. But now the outlook is bleak almost everywhere. Far from being the envy of much of the world, the NHS struggles to meet any of its own national targets.

There is much that still should be celebrated. I qualified as a nurse in 2014, so all of my working life in healthcare has been during the tumultuous period of austerity, pandemics and geopolitical shocks. The thousands of nurses and NHS staff I’ve worked alongside have shown a resilience to cope with these events that’s nothing short of inspirational. And they continue to deliver exceptional care in the most trying circumstances.  While politicians have let us down, nurses have always risen to meet the challenges.

But there’s no bottomless well of resilience. So many NHS and care staff tell me they’re tired or despairing. They’re not convinced their working lives will ever improve. They need to be given hope and genuine confidence things can get better.

With the prospect of a change of government, there’s also a possibility that the winds that have battered the health service for so long will change direction. For the first time in more than a decade, we could be the political will to achieve what unions and health workers want – improved patient support and the delivery of excellent, comprehensive care from cradle to grave.

Re-building the NHS and nursing will, however, require inspiration, innovation and everyone’s best collective efforts. Each year Unison sponsors the team of the year prize at the Nursing Times Awards. The shortlist is always packed full of amazing people who’ve taken innovative approaches to solving the problems they face. They put patients first and deliver care with compassion, often overcoming huge barriers.

With a likelihood of political change, and all that means for the NHS, it’s time people in these teams and in the wider nursing community are given a voice again, to channel their views into the recovery of the health service.

I’m delighted that Nursing Times is giving people this opportunity to imagine how working lives and the NHS can be rebuilt and improved. Unison is affiliated to the Labour Party, giving the workers that the union represents an opportunity to influence policy. It’s important, however, that everyone in nursing is able to put forward ideas and share their experiences of what must change. Although it’s important not to get carried away with optimism, hope and imagination can help reignite passion for the profession and the difference nurses can make.

So please take the time to read these forthcoming editions, then share your perspectives and ideas. Candidates standing for election, and political parties writing manifestos, are influenced by numerous individuals and organisations. It’s vital they hear from, and understand, the experiences of those in nursing.

They’d do well to pay close attention to the staff who’ve struggled to keep the NHS on track for the past 13 years. Only with your experiences and enthusiasm will the huge task of rebuilding the health service be possible.

Find out more about the campaign and how to take part here.