Nursing 2030 vision

1 Why Do We Need a Nursing 2030 Vision?

Scotland is changing, and nursing needs to change too.

Health and social care is changing. Modern health and social care focuses on delivering true value to the patient, avoid ing unwarranted variation in clinical practice and resultant outcomes. Professions delivering to this model, as described in Realistic Medicine, ^[2] no longer have the firm demarcations of days gone by.

Nursing has taken on new responsibilities. It is much more likely as we move through the next decade that people will find their episodes of care being managed exclusively by nurses working in multidisciplinary and multiagency teams that straddle health and social care and include the voluntary and independent sectors. Nurses' sphere of influence and interest is widening to include promoting health and wellbeing and tackling inequalities. And the workforce is facing the prospect of working for longer before retirement.

Society is changing. People are living longer, which is to be celebrated, but often with poorer health in older age. People are knowledgeable about, and actively engaged in, health and health care and are pushing more and more to be active partners in, rather than passive recipients of, care. They seek relationships with professionals who support them to reflect on and express their preferences based on their unique circumstances, expectations, beliefs and values, and with whom shared decision-making is the norm. ²

Our society is more diverse than ever, with people of different cultures, ethnicities and traditions living, working and studying in Scotland. The way people are living is changing too: more are residing in single households or living longer at home with parents or extended family, working part-time or in irregular employment, or being self-employed.

And technology is changing. Digital technology, especially social media, has changed the way we communicate and cooperate with each other, and looks likely to change the way many of us work, learn and access services.

All this has an impact on the health and wellbeing of the nation, and consequently on the kind of nurses we need to meet population needs.

So this shared Vision is necessary for us to create an environment in Scotland where the population has the nurses it deserves and needs, and nurses are prepared to work in different ways. It reflects what we need to do to ensure Scotland's nurses can flourish and advance along the career pathway. And it sets out why workforce planning and ensuring the right staffing levels are so important in preparing nurses for future needs and roles.