Editorial
Managing director Rhonda Oliver Editor Graham Scott Deputy editors Elaine Cole, Janet Snell Assistant editor Roger Evans ART&SCIENCE Editor Gwen Clarke Deputy editor Tanya Fernandes Clinical editors Noreen Begley, Ed Rowe
Graham Scott EDITOR
NEWS & VIEWS News editor Sarah Harrison Acting news editor Sally Gillen Acting deputy news editor Kat Keogh Reporters Alistair Kleebauer, Katie Osborne Development editor Frances Pickersgill Features editor Thelma Agnew Reflections editor Clare Lomas PRODUCTION & DESIGN Head of production Fiona Maclean Senior production editor Julie Hickey Production manager Arnie Beeson Production editors Sarah Howe, Jennifer Oldfield Deputy production editor Justin Stevens Sub editors Yvonne Byron Nour, Joyce McKimm, Jennifer Saunders Art directors Ken McLoone, Paul Swainson Deputy art director Minesh Parmar Designer Sujata Aurora Picture editor Philip Brecht Deputy picture editor Helen Jones Assistant picture editor Karen Gordon Production assistant Annette Taylor-Anderson Ad production executives Sally Gauntlett, Sue Horn IT AND NEW MEDIA Technology director John Day ITC manager Alex Oldfield Web editor Amanda Carter IT assistant Kerry Taylor ADMINISTRATION Administration manager Maria O’Brien Editorial administrative assistants Sarah Musisi, Jane Yates BUSINESS UNIT Commercial director Tony O’Rourke PA to commercial director Kim Sanders Head of marketing Helen Sumner Deputy head of marketing Michelle Day Events executive Rachel Weeden Subscriptions manager Beryl John Group educational projects manager Laura Downes RGN Advertisement and sponsorship sales manager Neil Hobson Senior sponsorship and advertising specialist Julia Gomersall Advertisement and sponsorship executives Rachel Fisher, Kelly Smith Classified sales manager Andy McCallum Sales project specialist Freddie Collier Classified sales executives Mandy Croggon, Shona Gethin, Pamela Gethin, Stephanie Mackrill SUBSCRIPTIONS
Personal rates from £76.80 a year. Telephone +44 (0)345 772 6100 Institutional rates from £675 a year. Send all enquiries to [email protected] Visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk for details. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
The Heights, 59-65 Lowlands Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex HA1 3AW Tel: +44 (0)20 8423 1333 Fax: +44 (0)20 8872 3197 ISSN 0029-6570 Email: [email protected] You can email staff at Nursing Standard in the following way: (first name).(second name)@rcnpublishing.co.uk Nursing Standard is published every Wednesday by RCN Publishing Company Ltd, the publishing company of the Royal College of Nursing. It seeks to promote professional excellence, and encourage creativity and innovation in nursing, midwifery and health visiting practice. Nursing Standard also aims to enhance nurses’ and healthcare assistants’ career development and to help them achieve and maintain a healthy and rewarding working environment. Nursing Standard is editorially independent and the opinions expressed are not those of the RCN or of the contributor’s employing organisation unless specifically stated. Acceptance of an advertisement does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of a product or service, either by the RCN or RCN Publishing.
Nurses need support to blow the whistle Think of a scandal involving a healthcare organisation and you will probably recall a nurse who blew the whistle on what was happening. Helene Donnelly at Stafford, Terry Bryan at Winterbourne View and Margaret Haywood at the Royal Sussex are perhaps the most well known, but others have also spoken out against poor care. The other common theme is that, without exception, the nurses’ attempts to go through ‘the proper channels’ by raising concerns with managers proved pointless. Blind eyes and deaf ears were turned as those in charge focused on targets and balance sheets, rather than the quality of care that patients and other service users were receiving.
THOSE IN CHARGE FOCUSED ON BALANCE SHEETS AND TARGETS RATHER THAN QUALITY OF CARE
So it would be no surprise if nurses responded sceptically to proposed changes to the Code, the document published by Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that sets out the standards of conduct, performance and ethics by which all registrants must abide. The draft new Code says nurses and midwives ‘must raise concerns if you believe a person in your care is vulnerable or at risk’. Many already do, but feel they are wasting their time. The draft Code adds that registrants in management and leadership positions will also have a new duty. They will be expected to ensure that concerns raised with them are escalated promptly and appropriately, not left to fester in an in-tray or on an answering machine. However, the biggest problem is beyond the NMC’s remit. The buck stops with those in charge of the NHS and independent sector providers, many of whom are not doctors or nurses and therefore are unregulated. General managers who fail to act on concerns raised by clinicians are not hauled before a fitness to practise panel. Whatever appears in the final version of the NMC Code, nurses and midwives will only feel confident in blowing the whistle when they are convinced that those in power are listening. See page 20 Air your views on
Nursing Standard and
@NScomment
Have your say by joining our weekly Twitter debate. Every Thursday from 12.30 to 1.30 use #NScomment and share your views with other nurses on a hot topic of the day
www.nursing-standard.co.uk july 2 :: vol 28 no 44 :: 2014 3
Nursing Standard 2014.28:3-3. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by 206.125.158.105 on 11/04/15. For personal use only.
Managing director Rhonda Oliver Editor Graham Scott Deputy editors Elaine Cole, Janet Snell Assistant editor Roger Evans ART&SCIENCE Editor Gwen Clarke Deputy editor Tanya Fernandes Clinical editors Noreen Begley, Ed Rowe
Graham Scott EDITOR
NEWS & VIEWS News editor Sarah Harrison Acting news editor Sally Gillen Acting deputy news editor Kat Keogh Reporters Alistair Kleebauer, Katie Osborne Development editor Frances Pickersgill Features editor Thelma Agnew Reflections editor Clare Lomas PRODUCTION & DESIGN Head of production Fiona Maclean Senior production editor Julie Hickey Production manager Arnie Beeson Production editors Sarah Howe, Jennifer Oldfield Deputy production editor Justin Stevens Sub editors Yvonne Byron Nour, Joyce McKimm, Jennifer Saunders Art directors Ken McLoone, Paul Swainson Deputy art director Minesh Parmar Designer Sujata Aurora Picture editor Philip Brecht Deputy picture editor Helen Jones Assistant picture editor Karen Gordon Production assistant Annette Taylor-Anderson Ad production executives Sally Gauntlett, Sue Horn IT AND NEW MEDIA Technology director John Day ITC manager Alex Oldfield Web editor Amanda Carter IT assistant Kerry Taylor ADMINISTRATION Administration manager Maria O’Brien Editorial administrative assistants Sarah Musisi, Jane Yates BUSINESS UNIT Commercial director Tony O’Rourke PA to commercial director Kim Sanders Head of marketing Helen Sumner Deputy head of marketing Michelle Day Events executive Rachel Weeden Subscriptions manager Beryl John Group educational projects manager Laura Downes RGN Advertisement and sponsorship sales manager Neil Hobson Senior sponsorship and advertising specialist Julia Gomersall Advertisement and sponsorship executives Rachel Fisher, Kelly Smith Classified sales manager Andy McCallum Sales project specialist Freddie Collier Classified sales executives Mandy Croggon, Shona Gethin, Pamela Gethin, Stephanie Mackrill SUBSCRIPTIONS
Personal rates from £76.80 a year. Telephone +44 (0)345 772 6100 Institutional rates from £675 a year. Send all enquiries to [email protected] Visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk for details. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
The Heights, 59-65 Lowlands Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex HA1 3AW Tel: +44 (0)20 8423 1333 Fax: +44 (0)20 8872 3197 ISSN 0029-6570 Email: [email protected] You can email staff at Nursing Standard in the following way: (first name).(second name)@rcnpublishing.co.uk Nursing Standard is published every Wednesday by RCN Publishing Company Ltd, the publishing company of the Royal College of Nursing. It seeks to promote professional excellence, and encourage creativity and innovation in nursing, midwifery and health visiting practice. Nursing Standard also aims to enhance nurses’ and healthcare assistants’ career development and to help them achieve and maintain a healthy and rewarding working environment. Nursing Standard is editorially independent and the opinions expressed are not those of the RCN or of the contributor’s employing organisation unless specifically stated. Acceptance of an advertisement does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of a product or service, either by the RCN or RCN Publishing.
Nurses need support to blow the whistle Think of a scandal involving a healthcare organisation and you will probably recall a nurse who blew the whistle on what was happening. Helene Donnelly at Stafford, Terry Bryan at Winterbourne View and Margaret Haywood at the Royal Sussex are perhaps the most well known, but others have also spoken out against poor care. The other common theme is that, without exception, the nurses’ attempts to go through ‘the proper channels’ by raising concerns with managers proved pointless. Blind eyes and deaf ears were turned as those in charge focused on targets and balance sheets, rather than the quality of care that patients and other service users were receiving.
THOSE IN CHARGE FOCUSED ON BALANCE SHEETS AND TARGETS RATHER THAN QUALITY OF CARE
So it would be no surprise if nurses responded sceptically to proposed changes to the Code, the document published by Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that sets out the standards of conduct, performance and ethics by which all registrants must abide. The draft new Code says nurses and midwives ‘must raise concerns if you believe a person in your care is vulnerable or at risk’. Many already do, but feel they are wasting their time. The draft Code adds that registrants in management and leadership positions will also have a new duty. They will be expected to ensure that concerns raised with them are escalated promptly and appropriately, not left to fester in an in-tray or on an answering machine. However, the biggest problem is beyond the NMC’s remit. The buck stops with those in charge of the NHS and independent sector providers, many of whom are not doctors or nurses and therefore are unregulated. General managers who fail to act on concerns raised by clinicians are not hauled before a fitness to practise panel. Whatever appears in the final version of the NMC Code, nurses and midwives will only feel confident in blowing the whistle when they are convinced that those in power are listening. See page 20 Air your views on
Nursing Standard and
@NScomment
Have your say by joining our weekly Twitter debate. Every Thursday from 12.30 to 1.30 use #NScomment and share your views with other nurses on a hot topic of the day
www.nursing-standard.co.uk july 2 :: vol 28 no 44 :: 2014 3
Nursing Standard 2014.28:3-3. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by 206.125.158.105 on 11/04/15. For personal use only.
