Torsten Bell is correct in his analysis of the exodus of nurses from the profession (“When nursing staff head for the door, senior doctors are right behind”, Comment). As a now retired nurse of more than 40 years’ experience, I can speak with some authority about why retention is so poor. Nurses never expect huge salaries or they wouldn’t have entered the profession in the first place. They do, however, expect to feel valued. If they were offered incentives such as subsidised housing, car parking and meals on duty (just like our MPs get), they would be less inclined to leave. Most nurses aren’t nomadic and value the chance to work flexibly to accommodate family life. A little nurturing would go a long way to improving retention.
Teresa Curtis
Cheadle Hulme, Stockport
I am a consultant paediatric surgeon and am unable to function without the trained, talented, experienced nurses who are part of our team. We do not delegate. We have our overlapping roles and inform and guide each other. I am frequently guided by my nursing colleagues. They have skills I will never attain. My ability to work efficiently is dependent on these nurses. Delegation implies a hierarchy between surgeons and nurses that does not exist except in their salaries, which in turn does not reflect relative worth.
Alan Bailie
Belfast
