Opportunities for change: the United Nations Working for Health and Growth report

The United Nations High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth recently published a report that makes ten recommendations and four calls for immediate action. Analysis of the report, Working for Health and Growth: Investing in the Health Workforce, highlights several opportunities for nursing to contribute to a wide-based agenda while positioning the profession to gain wider influence. The report, when analysed through the lens of regulation, professional practice and socio-economic welfare, offers opportunities for nurses in different sectors to work collaboratively to further the recommendations. Importantly, the report seeks to reframe how money spent on healthcare provision is viewed. In particular, it suggests that such funding should be regarded as an investment rather than a cost, and one that delivers up to ninefold returns. The report is supported by several technical evidence-based documents, and features contributions from a range of intergovernmental agencies, such as the World Health Organization, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Labour Organization. This article argues that nurses can, and should, make a significant contribution to this agenda and, in so doing, position the profession for the future.