Andrew Gwynne MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, responding to the Royal College of Nursing’s report on 3,994 fewer senior nurses than in 2010, said:

“You can’t trust David Cameron with the NHS. Under him, thousands of the most experienced nurses have left the NHS. He’s making care failures more likely, not less.

“Rather than focusing on patients, the Tories have wasted billions on a top-down reorganisation of the back office.

“While we know that good ward leadership is important for care quality, it is clear that the Government has not learnt the lessons of the Francis Report. Patients are paying the price for their arrogance.”