The Prime Minister’s Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery will cover all branches of nursing and midwifery including health visitors, mental health and learning disability nurses and paediatric nurses.
Members include Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN); Ann Keen, health minister; Christine Beasley, chief nursing officer; and Cathy Warwick, Royal College of Midwives’ general secretary.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: “Nurses now have more powers to make real, tangible improvements on wards, in GP centres and in the community. They have taken on far more responsibility in clinical care, developing their skills as leaders and management.”
The Commission builds on the existing work specified in Lord Darzi’s report High Quality Care for All and considers how nurses can further improve safety, champion high-quality patient care, and benefit from increased freedom.
“Lord Darzi’s review has laid a blueprint for radically improving patient care and this commission will outline many of the next steps the NHS needs to take,” said Dr Peter Carter.