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In brief Nursing Standard is offering an online careers advice service led by nursing careers specialist Pauline Byers. For £25, the CV Clinic offers resources and advice for composing a job-winning resumé. Nurses can submit their CV and receive recommendations on important areas such as content, presentation and optimal keywords. Go to tinyurl.com/pe5oj94 Chair of the RCN’s International Committee, Kath McCourt, has been elected vice-president of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation (CNF). The federation, a collective of national nursing and midwifery organisations in Commonwealth countries, aims to develop global nursing networks, share best practice and influence health policy. It also advises the RCN council on international matters. Professor McCourt said: ‘The CNF is a strong voice influencing change internationally and I am delighted that I will be able to undertake this important role.’ Guidance on ensuring providers and commissioners make the right decisions about nursing, midwifery and care staffing capacity has been produced by the National Quality Board. It outlines expectations related to staffing, signposts tools and resources to support this and explains what national organisations will do to underpin the expectations. The guide can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/right-staff Anita Rolfe has been appointed to the role of chief nurse and director of quality assurance at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust. Ms Rolfe joins the trust from NHS England’s Greater Manchester Area Team, where she was deputy director of patient experience with responsibility for helping to shape provider and commissioner strategies for a population of 2.4 million. 6
February 2014 | Volume 20 | Number 9
Getting in shape for adventure at the Great Wall NURSE CONSULTANT Matthew Hodson is in training for a week-long trek along the Great Wall of China to raise funds for the British Lung Foundation. Mr Hodson (pictured), who works for Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in east London, will walk sections of the 5,000km wall in April for up to eight hours a
Chief nurse questions the value of displaying staffing level notices STAFFING LEVELS posted at ward entrances will not improve care and could heighten patient anxiety, according to the chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. Eileen Sills said the trust would not follow others, including Salford Royal and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh, which have ward noticeboards listing how many staff are on shift and how many there should be. She said there is a danger patients could think wards are short-staffed when the skill mix matches patient acuity. ‘We should not raise patients’ anxiety levels. Staffing numbers
day. Named Nursing Standard’s 2013 Nurse of the Year for setting up a specialist drop-in clinic for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Mr Hodson aims to raise £10,000 for the foundation. ‘The charity walk will raise awareness of lung disease and other respiratory conditions, such as asthma and obstructive sleep apnoea,’ he said.
is just one tiny bit of the picture. I am more interested in the skills of staff on duty.’ However, Ms Sills welcomed the government’s announcement that hospitals will publish staffing levels for all wards on a monthly basis from April. Guy’s and St Thomas’ has more than 1,000 beds and employs 3,465 whole-time equivalent (WTE) nurses. Last April, it published a report on staffing levels for the trust board, which resulted in the recruitment of an additional 681 WTE nurses between June and September. The hospital has introduced boards next to beds on the wards that display information including the name of the nurse and consultant looking after the patient, in response to government recommendations in the wake of the Francis report. NURSING MANAGEMENT
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In brief Nursing Standard is offering an online careers advice service led by nursing careers specialist Pauline Byers. For £25, the CV Clinic offers resources and advice for composing a job-winning resumé. Nurses can submit their CV and receive recommendations on important areas such as content, presentation and optimal keywords. Go to tinyurl.com/pe5oj94 Chair of the RCN’s International Committee, Kath McCourt, has been elected vice-president of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation (CNF). The federation, a collective of national nursing and midwifery organisations in Commonwealth countries, aims to develop global nursing networks, share best practice and influence health policy. It also advises the RCN council on international matters. Professor McCourt said: ‘The CNF is a strong voice influencing change internationally and I am delighted that I will be able to undertake this important role.’ Guidance on ensuring providers and commissioners make the right decisions about nursing, midwifery and care staffing capacity has been produced by the National Quality Board. It outlines expectations related to staffing, signposts tools and resources to support this and explains what national organisations will do to underpin the expectations. The guide can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/right-staff Anita Rolfe has been appointed to the role of chief nurse and director of quality assurance at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust. Ms Rolfe joins the trust from NHS England’s Greater Manchester Area Team, where she was deputy director of patient experience with responsibility for helping to shape provider and commissioner strategies for a population of 2.4 million. 6
February 2014 | Volume 20 | Number 9
Getting in shape for adventure at the Great Wall NURSE CONSULTANT Matthew Hodson is in training for a week-long trek along the Great Wall of China to raise funds for the British Lung Foundation. Mr Hodson (pictured), who works for Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in east London, will walk sections of the 5,000km wall in April for up to eight hours a
Chief nurse questions the value of displaying staffing level notices STAFFING LEVELS posted at ward entrances will not improve care and could heighten patient anxiety, according to the chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. Eileen Sills said the trust would not follow others, including Salford Royal and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh, which have ward noticeboards listing how many staff are on shift and how many there should be. She said there is a danger patients could think wards are short-staffed when the skill mix matches patient acuity. ‘We should not raise patients’ anxiety levels. Staffing numbers
day. Named Nursing Standard’s 2013 Nurse of the Year for setting up a specialist drop-in clinic for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Mr Hodson aims to raise £10,000 for the foundation. ‘The charity walk will raise awareness of lung disease and other respiratory conditions, such as asthma and obstructive sleep apnoea,’ he said.
is just one tiny bit of the picture. I am more interested in the skills of staff on duty.’ However, Ms Sills welcomed the government’s announcement that hospitals will publish staffing levels for all wards on a monthly basis from April. Guy’s and St Thomas’ has more than 1,000 beds and employs 3,465 whole-time equivalent (WTE) nurses. Last April, it published a report on staffing levels for the trust board, which resulted in the recruitment of an additional 681 WTE nurses between June and September. The hospital has introduced boards next to beds on the wards that display information including the name of the nurse and consultant looking after the patient, in response to government recommendations in the wake of the Francis report. NURSING MANAGEMENT
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 30, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
