We are a month into our Summer of Protest in this phase of the Royal College of Nursing’s #scrapthecap ­campaign.

The response we have had from the public and media has been heart-warming, so we are writing to thank everyone for their support. It really means the world to us all.

However, the Government is still not listening. It continues to put safe patient care and ­services at serious risk by choosing not to address the nursing shortages that our health services are facing. Until the profession is valued by the Government, vacancies will remain unfilled as nursing staff leave the NHS and others choose not to join the profession. This will impact on every person who will at some point require care in the NHS.

We can assure you that every member of the nursing team wants to be there for you, to provide you with the highest quality of care. But to do this there needs to be enough ­registered nurses and allied healthcare professionals, including healthcare assistants in post, and we need to stop vacancies increasing further.

Pay is an important part of this, as RCN members are telling us that they are having to take on extra shifts, not only to survive financially, but also to cover shifts on their wards as extra hours to ensure safe staffing numbers for their patients.

Our nurses are working themselves into the ground to care for patients, but an NHS run on staff goodwill is not ­sustainable. It is not safe and it is not what patients deserve.

Please continue to support our campaign: write to your MP telling him or her to scrap the cap on NHS pay. You can engage with us on social media or simply smile when you see us – a little goes a long way.

Lors Allford and Vicky Brotherton,

RCN Council members,

South West Region