NEWS WORLD IN BRIEF Rogue schools The Tanzanian government has joined forces with the Tanzania Nurse and Midwife Council to stamp out unregistered nursing schools. Acting chief nursing officer at the Ministry of Health and Social Health Ama Kasamgala said unqualified ‘nurses’ from the schools were creating problems in hospitals and contributing to the public perception of nurses as ‘irrational, unprofessional and rude’. She said a severe shortage of nurses in the East African country, where nurse-to-patient ratios are as high as one to 50 in some areas, also needs attention. The government has pledged to address the deficit and modify nurse training programmes. Vaccine fears Kenya’s National Union of Nurses has backed calls by the Catholic church to suspend a tetanus vaccination programme. The union’s secretary general Seth Panyako said the church’s claims that the programme was a ploy to sterilise Kenyan women aged 19 to 49 should be investigated. Catholic priests have been telling their congregations to boycott the government’s vaccination campaign, which began last week. Tetanus is believed to kill 550 babies each year in the East African country. The church has called for more tests to be carried out on the vaccine. Mr Panyako said nurses do not want Kenyans to see them as being used by the government to sterilise women. Nurse steps up A Canadian nurse was one of the first people at the scene when a soldier was shot dead at the National War Memorial in Ottawa last week. Margaret Lerhe applied pressure to the gunshot wounds and gave first aid to Corporal Nathan Cirillo moments after he was shot twice in the chest, but he was unresponsive. As others gathered, she gave instructions to start CPR, check his pulse and do compressions. Ms Lerhe said: ‘When you are a nurse, it is your job to help and to pitch in under all kinds of circumstances. You step up.’
An actor simulates symptoms of Ebola while A&E nurse Kirsty Farrell (centre) and medic Amy Bibby don protective suits
Nurses close to Heathrow take part in Ebola simulation exercise Nursing staff and other healthcare professionals at Hillingdon Hospital near Heathrow airport have taken part in an Ebola containment and treatment simulation exercise. The hospital was approached by the government’s crisis response committee COBRA to carry out the exercise because of its closeness to the airport, where passengers arriving from West Africa are now being screened for the virus. A&E nurse Kirsty Farrell led the exercise, in which an actor pretended to be a young man presenting at the hospital with flu-like symptoms after recently returning from West Africa. Ms Farrell told Nursing Standard that one of the most interesting observations was how hot she felt wearing a protective suit. As a result, a time limit of 30 minutes for wearing the protective gear has now been set by the trust. Training will take place next month for all staff on how to put on and take off the suits. Ms Farrell said: ‘It was a fantastic learning experience for the trust as a whole and we were able to identify
where we need to add to our procedures.’ She added that the hospital worked with Public Health England (PHE) on the scenario and all staff were fully briefed beforehand. In the scenario, the patient tested positive for Ebola following blood tests and was transported to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London, which has a specialist unit, and where nurse William Pooley was successfully treated for Ebola.
‘STAFF SHOULD BE REASSURED WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROTECT THEM’ ‘From a trust perspective we are looking at our preparedness for a possible case of Ebola in the future,’ said Ms Farrell. ‘Staff should be reassured we are doing everything we can to protect them if this situation does occur.’ In the past week PHE has issued posters to GP surgeries around England, warning patients who may have arrived in the country from West Africa to be vigilant if they experience high fever or ‘flu-like symptoms’.
NURSING STANDARD :: vol 29without no 9 ::permission. 2014 13 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Oct 13, 2015. For personal useoctober only. No29 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
An actor simulates symptoms of Ebola while A&E nurse Kirsty Farrell (centre) and medic Amy Bibby don protective suits
Nurses close to Heathrow take part in Ebola simulation exercise Nursing staff and other healthcare professionals at Hillingdon Hospital near Heathrow airport have taken part in an Ebola containment and treatment simulation exercise. The hospital was approached by the government’s crisis response committee COBRA to carry out the exercise because of its closeness to the airport, where passengers arriving from West Africa are now being screened for the virus. A&E nurse Kirsty Farrell led the exercise, in which an actor pretended to be a young man presenting at the hospital with flu-like symptoms after recently returning from West Africa. Ms Farrell told Nursing Standard that one of the most interesting observations was how hot she felt wearing a protective suit. As a result, a time limit of 30 minutes for wearing the protective gear has now been set by the trust. Training will take place next month for all staff on how to put on and take off the suits. Ms Farrell said: ‘It was a fantastic learning experience for the trust as a whole and we were able to identify
where we need to add to our procedures.’ She added that the hospital worked with Public Health England (PHE) on the scenario and all staff were fully briefed beforehand. In the scenario, the patient tested positive for Ebola following blood tests and was transported to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London, which has a specialist unit, and where nurse William Pooley was successfully treated for Ebola.
‘STAFF SHOULD BE REASSURED WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROTECT THEM’ ‘From a trust perspective we are looking at our preparedness for a possible case of Ebola in the future,’ said Ms Farrell. ‘Staff should be reassured we are doing everything we can to protect them if this situation does occur.’ In the past week PHE has issued posters to GP surgeries around England, warning patients who may have arrived in the country from West Africa to be vigilant if they experience high fever or ‘flu-like symptoms’.
NURSING STANDARD :: vol 29without no 9 ::permission. 2014 13 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Oct 13, 2015. For personal useoctober only. No29 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
