On the Agenda: Changing Nurses’ Careers in 1999. A Summary

Nurses are a valued resource and much government effort goes into their recruitment and retention. The decline in registered nurse numbers evident in recent years appeared to have slowed in 1999, although many new qualifiers were still opting to work outside the NHS.

This report used evidence from a survey of 6,000 registered nurses, and showed that nurses have a high level of commitment to their profession and to their own continuing development. The NHS was facing the challenge of meeting the career aspirations of nurses whose commitment was being challenged by increasing workload pressures.

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