Last Updated on June 1, 2026
A new national impact report shows investment in the nursing sector delivers benefits for all, including staff, patients and services. This impact report from the Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS) is the organisation’s first and is named Measuring What Matters. The report demonstrates how investment in person-centred cultures, leadership development and workforce wellbeing can improve experiences for nurses, patients, residents and health and care organisations.
FoNS states that this report comes at a critical time for the UK workforce as a recent NHS staff survey shows rising levels of work-related stress and burnout among nurses and midwives. In addition to this, the survey revealed that roughly one in three are considering leaving their organisation and up to one in ten are considering leaving their professions altogether.
With this as a backdrop, FoNS worked with nearly 900 nurses and health and care professionals during 2025. The organisation provided more than 17,000 hours of facilitated support through leadership, culture change and restorative clinical supervision programmes. The report highlights measurable improvements in leadership confidence, workplace culture, psychological safety, person-centred practice and workforce wellbeing.
The key findings from the report are:
- Supporting the nursing workforce when it matters most.
- Developing compassionate and confident leaders.
- Creating safer cultures of care.
- Improving wellbeing, retention and sustainability.
- Embedding person-centred cultures.
- Strengthening quality and safety.
- Influencing change beyond programmes.
Speaking on the report, Joanne Bosanquet MBE, Chief Executive at FoNS, said, ‘Our report demonstrates that investing in nurses, midwives and their teams is not a cost. It is an investment in safe care, stronger cultures, better experiences and a more sustainable workforce.’
Claire Taylor MBE, Chief Nursing Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, said, ‘The FoNS Impact Report provides robust, evidence-based insight into the reach and impact of its programmes on nursing practice, patient care and workplace culture. It strengthens the case for investing in person-centred cultures by linking programme participation to improved experiences for both patients and staff.’
Mary Pappin, Quality Transformation Lead for the National Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Quality Transformation Programme at NHS England, said, ‘The FoNS Impact Report offers much-needed hope at a time of significant challenge across the NHS. What makes FoNS unique is the ability to combine deep care and commitment for people with a willingness to challenge established thinking, asking difficult questions and supporting teams to find meaningful answers.’
Rohit Sagoo QN, Founder and Director of British Sikh Nurses, said, ‘The FoNS Impact Report highlights the power of compassionate, person-centred leadership in creating safer and more inclusive cultures of care. I am encouraged to see the growing emphasis on co-production, lived experience and psychological safety across the nursing workforce.’
You can read the full report here.
In other news, the Care Association Alliance (CAA) has launched a new programme of care reform policy papers to champion the voices of care providers.