Could it help to boost the standing of the profession by designating nursing as a STEM discipline? I am sure that my noble friend the Minister will agree that we cannot deliver the refreshed long-term workforce plan or the 10-year NHS plan to come unless we support nursing education to secure the students, nurse scientists and clinicians of the future.
Baroness Anne Marie Rafferty
07 March 2025
Nursing both a science and an art – Baroness Rafferty's vision in the House of Lords
Speaking in an International Women’s Day debate, Baroness Anne Marie Rafferty used her maiden speech in the House of Lords to call for greater recognition of nursing as a STEM discipline.
Baroness Anne Marie Rafferty made her maiden speech in the House of Lords on Thursday 6 March in an International Women's Day debate.
She was nominated for a life Peerage within the House of Lords in the most recent New Year's Honours list.
The debate took place on the afternoon of Thursday 6 March around the promotion of women's participation and leadership in science and technology in the UK and internationally.
Baroness Rafferty spoke about her upbringing in Fife and her early career as a nurse, particularly her mother's influence in encouraging her into nursing as she had been a nurse herself in the 1930s and during World War II.
She made the case that 'nursing is a science as well as an art', and highlighted the history of nursing as a profession, 'forged in the crucible of the international women's movement at the end of the 19th century [...] to combat the prejudice surrounding women's education by setting nursing on a scientific footing'.
Baroness Rafferty went on to highlight the difficulties surrounding the nursing profession, including falling nursing recruitment. Referencing a 2016 report by the all-party parliamentary group in global health entitled 'Triple Impact', Baroness Rafferty highlighted the benefits of investing in nursing education and staffing. These include strengthening health systems, universal health coverage, gender equality and women's participation in the workforce, and skilled employment opportunities.
Professor Rafferty is renowned for her pioneering research and dedication to improving healthcare systems, workforce development, and evidence-based nursing practices. She has made a significant impact on national and international health policy, advocating for the vital role of nurses in transforming healthcare and ensuring better outcomes for patients.
She has had a long and impactful career in nursing, previously working with Lord Ara Darzi and Professor Dame Christine Beasley on the Next Stage Review of the NHS; she served on the Prime Minister’s Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery 2009-10; and has been recipient of various awards including a CBE for services to healthcare in 2008, the Nursing Times Leadership Award in 2014 and Health Services Journal Top 100 Clinical Leaders Award in 2015; Fellowships of the Royal College of Nursing, American Academy of Nursing, Academy of Medical Sciences UK and National Academy of Medicine, USA.
Watch Baroness Rafferty's maiden speech on the parliamentlive.tv website (starting at 14:29). You can also read the full transcript of the debate.
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Professor of Nursing Policy