Nurses and Politics: The Impact of Power and Practice

The most controversial book on nursing written in over a decade, Nurses and Politics explains the key contemporary issues facing both student and qualified nurses. Written in an entertaining and engaging style, it provides a detailed and devastating analysis of two flagship government policies: Agenda for Change (the new pay system for nurses and other health workers) and Foundation Hospitals. Yet it looks beyond passing trends and events to get under the skin of what it is that makes nurses and nursing tick, analysing nursing's mythology and history, as well as its internal organisation and place within the NHS. The book is the first to make a clear link between violence to nurses, bullying, stress and whistleblowing, while addressing other issues such as nurse education, clinical practice, policy and service development within the NHS and funding. Nurses and Politics also explores how nurses are trapped within insidious power structures that not only damage their interests but rob them of the authority and confidence to resolve the problems they face in their daily work. Importantly, it ends with a chapter of potential solutions and hope for nurses and the work they love. Extensively researched and referenced, Nurses and Politics is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of nursing.