Paul Holmes MP pledges support for nursing

10.38.16am GMT Mon 22nd Mar 2010

Paul Holmes MP for Chesterfield met nursing leaders and students from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Westminster on Wednesday 17th March. The event, on a specially customised double-decker bus, was part of the RCN Nursing counts campaign, which highlights the key issues for the nursing community ahead of the general election.

Paul said, after visiting the bus:

"The students and nurses I met today were keen and highly committed to delivering an excellent health service for the twenty-first century. I am very pleased to support the RCN's Nursing counts campaign on key nursing issues as we approach the General Election. It is essential that nursing and nurses are given the support and recognition that they deserve."

On the bus were student nurses from across the UK along with Janet Davies, Executive Director of Nursing and Service Delivery for the RCN. Paul chatted to nursing students about why the shift to nursing as an all graduate profession is so important. He was given a copy of the RCN's manifesto for the forthcoming General Election and pledged his support to the Nursing counts campaign.

To find out more about the Nursing counts campaign and the key issues for nurses at the general election, please visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/generalelection

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Notes to editors:

The RCN Student Bus, equipped with a seminar room, cybercafé and publication room, provides study help and support for student and healthcare assistant members. The tour is visiting universities and hospitals around the UK. Students will be able to attend workshops on subjects including interview techniques, accountability, dignity, the transition to staff nurse and mental health nursing. RCN staff is also on hand to provide advice and guidance.

Information regarding further dates, including visits to many PiC hospitals, is available on the RCN Students website - http://www.rcn.org.uk/studentbus and you can follow the bus on Twitter - http://twitter.com/RCNStudentBus

Working with The CarbonNeutral Company, the RCN Student Bus Tour has achieved Carbon Neutral® event status. This means that all the emissions associated with the bus tour such as fuel consumption, energy used and waste has been measured and reduced to net zero. This was achieved through carbon offsetting where every tonne of CO2 emitted by the RCN Student Bus Tour is matched by an equivalent amount saved by an emission reduction project somewhere else in the world.