News Healthcare unions have given a cautious welcome to a move by NHS England that will see high-performing acute hospitals sharing expertise with smaller trusts and district general hospitals. But the unions have called for more detail on how the 13 acute-care collaboration vanguards, announced in September, will affect nurses and want to see nurses involved in the early planning of services. See analysis, page 11 The RCN is calling for abstracts from nursing leaders, influencers and practitioners for an international conference in celebration of the college’s centenary year. To be held on November 2016, the conference will look at how nursing has improved health outcomes and its future direction. The deadline for submissions is November 30. For more information, visit www.rcn. org.uk/centenaryconference The International Council of Nurses has voiced ‘tremendous respect’ for nurses working with refugees and migrants across Europe. Acting chief executive officer Pierre Théraulaz said: ‘Nurses provide access to health care for all. They are at the heart of their communities and can put people at the centre of care, making services more effective, efficient and equitable.’ See vantage point, page 15 RCNi has received four nominations in a prestigious competition that rewards the best of digital publications. The Professional Publishers Association awards celebrate digital excellence in a number of different categories. RCNi has been named alongside the BBC and RadioTimes in the New Website of the Year category. The other three nominations are for Digital Publishing Company of the Year, Digital Brand of the Year and Development Team of the Year. Winners will be announced on November 25. 6
November 2015 | Volume 22 | Number 7
Government says that 90% of nursing time should be at bedsides HEALTH SECRETARY Jeremy Hunt has said the NHS should create roles where 90% of nurses’ time is spent giving direct patient care. Jim Varney
In brief
Nurses do too much paperwork, claims health secretary
Pay Review Body data show nurses are on the brink of quitting ALMOST ONE quarter of nurses feel so undervalued they are thinking of leaving the profession, research published last month suggests. A survey of 4,137 RCN members shows that almost one third of respondents (31%) are looking for a new job and 23% want to quit nursing. The survey reveals the pressures faced by nurses working in the NHS and independent sector. A total of 56% said too much time is spent on non-nursing tasks and 59% said they are too busy to provide the care they want to give. More than four fifths have worked when too ill to do so and almost half of those said work-related stress had been partly to blame. RCN head of employment relations Josie Irwin said: ‘Nursing staff are placed in intolerable situations, working themselves sick and still feel they have not been able to deliver the care they would like. ‘There needs to be a recognition that care is part of all our futures and we should value it, invest in it and train enough people to deliver it well.’
Mr Hunt appeared before the health committee in September and said that some nurses spend less than one third of their time caring for patients because they are overburdened with bureaucracy. He said that the percentage of time nurses spend with patients varies from 30% to 70% in the NHS. He compared this with Virginia Mason Hospital, in Seattle in the United States, where he said nurses spend up to 90% of their time with patients. He said: ‘They achieve 90% because they save time by not having nurses doing paperwork. I spoke to a nurse here who said she spends two thirds of her time filling out forms in A&E trying to get patients admitted.’ Mr Hunt defended the government’s record on pay and said the NHS is in the ‘worst financial crisis in its history’. He added that he had not awarded pay rises of more than 1% in England in the past three pay rounds because, if the increase was too high, trusts would be unable to afford it and would lay off staff.
The findings are echoed by a Unison report Undervalued, Overwhelmed, which contains the results of a survey of 10,589 NHS workers including 1,549 nurses and midwives. The survey shows that 65% are seriously thinking about leaving their jobs and two in five are considering a move away from health care. Workers considering leaving the NHS gave a number of reasons including low pay (58%) and staff shortages (also 58%). Both the RCN and Unison have submitted their surveys to the NHS Pay Review Body (RB) as evidence for the 2016/17 pay round. The Treasury has told the RB that for the next four years it will only fund public sector workforces pay increases of 1% a year. It has also said awards should be targeted so some staff could receive more than 1% while others get less. A Department of Health spokesperson said the most recent NHS England staff survey shows that most people would recommend their place of work to others. The spokesperson added: ‘We have gained 20,200 extra clinical staff since May 2010, 50,000 nurses currently in training and our recent pay deal gave more than one million of the lowest paid NHS staff a pay rise.’ NURSING MANAGEMENT
November 2015 | Volume 22 | Number 7
Government says that 90% of nursing time should be at bedsides HEALTH SECRETARY Jeremy Hunt has said the NHS should create roles where 90% of nurses’ time is spent giving direct patient care. Jim Varney
In brief
Nurses do too much paperwork, claims health secretary
Pay Review Body data show nurses are on the brink of quitting ALMOST ONE quarter of nurses feel so undervalued they are thinking of leaving the profession, research published last month suggests. A survey of 4,137 RCN members shows that almost one third of respondents (31%) are looking for a new job and 23% want to quit nursing. The survey reveals the pressures faced by nurses working in the NHS and independent sector. A total of 56% said too much time is spent on non-nursing tasks and 59% said they are too busy to provide the care they want to give. More than four fifths have worked when too ill to do so and almost half of those said work-related stress had been partly to blame. RCN head of employment relations Josie Irwin said: ‘Nursing staff are placed in intolerable situations, working themselves sick and still feel they have not been able to deliver the care they would like. ‘There needs to be a recognition that care is part of all our futures and we should value it, invest in it and train enough people to deliver it well.’
Mr Hunt appeared before the health committee in September and said that some nurses spend less than one third of their time caring for patients because they are overburdened with bureaucracy. He said that the percentage of time nurses spend with patients varies from 30% to 70% in the NHS. He compared this with Virginia Mason Hospital, in Seattle in the United States, where he said nurses spend up to 90% of their time with patients. He said: ‘They achieve 90% because they save time by not having nurses doing paperwork. I spoke to a nurse here who said she spends two thirds of her time filling out forms in A&E trying to get patients admitted.’ Mr Hunt defended the government’s record on pay and said the NHS is in the ‘worst financial crisis in its history’. He added that he had not awarded pay rises of more than 1% in England in the past three pay rounds because, if the increase was too high, trusts would be unable to afford it and would lay off staff.
The findings are echoed by a Unison report Undervalued, Overwhelmed, which contains the results of a survey of 10,589 NHS workers including 1,549 nurses and midwives. The survey shows that 65% are seriously thinking about leaving their jobs and two in five are considering a move away from health care. Workers considering leaving the NHS gave a number of reasons including low pay (58%) and staff shortages (also 58%). Both the RCN and Unison have submitted their surveys to the NHS Pay Review Body (RB) as evidence for the 2016/17 pay round. The Treasury has told the RB that for the next four years it will only fund public sector workforces pay increases of 1% a year. It has also said awards should be targeted so some staff could receive more than 1% while others get less. A Department of Health spokesperson said the most recent NHS England staff survey shows that most people would recommend their place of work to others. The spokesperson added: ‘We have gained 20,200 extra clinical staff since May 2010, 50,000 nurses currently in training and our recent pay deal gave more than one million of the lowest paid NHS staff a pay rise.’ NURSING MANAGEMENT
