England’s top nurse to announce a major new recruitment and retention campaign for the profession today as part of plans to mark the NHS’s landmark 70th year.

The new campaign will spotlight the enormous contribution of nurses and midwives in the NHS now and over the last seven decades, and look at the wide ranging career opportunities in the 21st century NHS in a drive to recruit and retain more nurses and midwives into the profession.

The new campaign, to be run in conjunction with national organisations, is part of a package of measures announced by Professor Jane Cummings, these include:

• 165 ‘nursing and midwifery ambassadors’ to boost the image and perception of nursing and midwifery – they will spearhead a campaign to promote nursing as a career choice including visiting schools
• Taking steps to protect the title “nurse” in law – to remove confusion and provide added reassurance to the public and patients, the CNO will work with the CNOs from across the UK to review options for a legal change to ensure only those registered as a nurse can use this professional title
• Launching a 70-Day nationwide campaign to end ‘pyjamas paralysis’ – giving patients back one million days of their precious time that would otherwise be wasted in bed in a hospital or care home.

Speaking at her annual Chief Nursing Officer conference, Professor Jane Cummings will say: “The shape of the UK’s future workforce is changing and people today will have job choices in areas that may as yet not even exist. But what will remain constant is the need in our society for extraordinary people who want to care for others.

“A career in modern nursing and midwifery has never been more rewarding, offering a huge range of opportunities for talented people. But what remains the same in 2018 as in 1948 when the NHS was founded, is the passion to provide expert care for those in need. We want to highlight through this new campaign that nursing and midwifery provides the opportunity not only for an outstanding career, but the chance to have a profound and direct impact on the lives of thousands and thousands of people in a way that simply can’t be matched.”