Nurses call on governments to invest in nursing for quality health care

1. Nurse leaders from seven countries'at the 20th International Workforce Forum of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), held in Sydney Australia, 29 September- 1 October 2014 call on governments to recognise and reaffirm the value of nursing in the delivery of quality health care. 

2. The Forum calls on governments to recognise that quality health care will only be delivered by a sustained investment in the nursing profession at all levels.

3. The call comes amid concerns of a predicted 40 million global shortfall in health care workers by 2025. The ICN Workforce Forum observed the current trend of governments to view nursing as a cost rather than an investment. This is based on short term financial considerations, reflected in poor or inadequate workforce planning, inappropriate role substitution and, consequently, reduced standards of health care. 

4. Nurses are experiencing deteriorating work/life balance and burn-out from increasing workloads, long hours and inadequate breaks between shifts. Additionally, the impact of inappropriate skills mix and substitution of registered nurses reduce their ability to provide quality care. There is evidence that this results in nurses leaving the profession. 

5. The Forum highlights that, while member countries continue to educate and train nurses to degree level, many nurses are unable to immediately gain employment and utilise their skills when they graduate. This situation is not only devastating to individual graduating nurses, but also wasteful as it denies health care systems this valuable resource which may be permanently lost.

6. The Forum also reaffirms the key role of nurse leadership in healthcare and policy making. Noting with concern the failure of the World Health Organization (WHO) to maintain nurse leadership positions in regional offices, the Forum calls on governments to strongly advocate for the filling of these key positions within the WHO. 

7. Nurse leaders must be prepared to assume important leadership roles. Therefore the Forum commits to continue to support nurse leaders who are prepared to advocate for quality health care at the highest level of national and international 

policy making. 

8. Health care is of critical importance in all communities and appropriate investment in nursing is fundamental.