Nurses are the vital component that keeps the vast machinery of the NHS running smoothly.
Without them, our health service would not be able to function and lives would be lost.
It’s no secret the NHS across the UK has struggled to meet demand as Covid restrictions were eased.
Ambulance waiting times in Scotland and elsewhere are at unacceptable levels.
Patients attending A&E wards face waiting hours before they are seen.
The Scottish Government has repeatedly said it will invest more in the health service.
But the reality is many staff are already demoralised and in danger of burn-out.
A damning report by the Royal College of Nursing spells out the staffing shortages faced in all hospitals.
More than eight in 10 nurses have reported there was not enough staff cover during their last shift to meet the needs of patients.
The downsides of allowing this situation to continue are obvious – patients will be at risk and staff forced to push themselves harder to cover.
Nursing leaders will gather in Glasgow today for the RCN’s annual conference.
It’s vital the Scottish Government and NHS bosses listen to what they have to say.
Action is needed now to protect frontline health workers and ensure patient safety.
We can’t allow nurses to work themselves into the ground. Recruitment needs to be stepped up and fast.
Too many politicians take our health service for granted – it needs to be funded and staffed appropriately.
Her vital legacy
Sarah Brown speaks from personal experience when she describes the heartache of losing a premature baby.
Sarah and her husband, ex-PM Gordon Brown, lost daughter Jennifer in 2001 when she was born seven weeks early.
Following the tragedy, the couple set up the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory at Edinburgh University.
It has become a genuine success story that has boosted research in a little understood area of medicine.
It carries out vital lifesaving research into the causes of early labour and what treatments can prevent it.
Sarah described the 20th anniversary of losing Jennifer and starting her charity as “bittersweet”.
But the Browns deserve huge credit for doing so much to raise awareness and support for parents of premature babies.
Their hard work will help countless families in Scotland and elsewhere.
It’s a more than fitting tribute to the memory of their precious daughter.
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