The Royal College of Nursing has overwhelmingly passed a no confidence motion in health secretary Andrew Lansley and the management of the coalition government’s NHS reform programme.

The motion was passed this morning at the RCN’s annual congress in Liverpool, and puts renewed pressure on Mr Lansley ahead of his visit this afternoon.

The secretary of state had already angered many nurses by refusing to address the full conference, instead opting to meet a group of around 60 nurses as part of the government’s “listening exercise”.

The motion, which won the support of 98.8 per cent of delegates, stated: “That this meeting of RCN Congress, in the light of [health minister] Anne Milton’s congress address, has no confidence in Andrew Lansley’s management of his coalition government’s NHS reforms.”

Proposing the motion, Mike Travis, of the greater Liverpool and Knowsley branch, said: “This debate is not about Andrew Lansley – he’s just a person who can be swapped in and out. This debate is about your patients and their access to care… our patients are losing services and funding hand over fist.”

He asked: “Do we need these reforms at a time when the british public have great trust and satisfaction with the NHS?”

 

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