Entering a new paradigm: emergency nursing into the 21st Century

Two National Audit Office reports were published in February 2010. The first was highly critical of emergency healthcare delivery in England and highlighted the ways in which staffing and resource allocations could be areas that could have a negative impact on morbidity and mortality. The second report highlighted the significant positive impact that current military emergency care is making with focused training and development of all professionals contributing to the care delivery strategies. This article evaluates the two publications and emphasises on the contribution that appropriately educated, prepared and trained emergency nurses could make within the NHS context.