The government has published a raft of measures which aim to cut red tape for doctors and nurses.

The 40 proposals include measures aimed at reducing the time taken for nurse re-registration to a maximum of eight weeks, issuing national guidance to enable nurses to request medical tests and investigations, and delivering practical support for local plans on patient discharge arrangements.

Forum Response: Unison

Karen Jennings, national secretary for health at Unison, told ePolitix.com: "The extra powers for hospital nurses make sound common sense. For example extending nurses' powers to include authorising tests and investigations will save the NHS money, save doctors time and, most importantly of all, get patients treated quicker."

Forum Response: Royal College of Nursing

Rosie Wilkinson, advisor on nursing practice at the RCN, told ePolitix.com: "The RCN welcomes this report. Speedier re-registrations and cutting hospital red tape will mean nurses can concentrate on delivering good, high quality patient care."