Nurses in the North East are writing to GP commissioning associations in their region to insist seats from them on their boards. The North East office of the Royal College of Nursing is similar to the five pathfinder consortia. This would gain assurances of the nurses and would involve them at a senior level.

In the whole country, the pathfinder consortia have been initiated to guide the government’s plan to put GPs in control of commissioning NHS services.

An RCN North East spokesman has told Nursing Times that it was asking the pathfinders whether the assurance nurses will get the same involvement as they have done under primary care trusts.

In the previous week, the RCN’s national office had issued a seminar to MPs. It was related to the concerns about the Health and Social Care Bill. This will establish the modifications which are needed.

The reforms in the bill was done by the college to make certain that nurses will be represented at consortia board level along with the new national NHS Commissioning Board.