ABSTRACT

Health care is changing rapidly for many reasons, including the development of new technologies and the emergence of an ageing population with multiple health needs. Nursing is fundamental to the delivery of good health care, and while this has been the case for many hundreds of years, the concept of nursing as a distinct profession started about 150 years or so ago. The pace of change has accelerated, particularly in the last decade, and looks set to continue as policy develops in response to changing health care needs.