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1 in 10
prostate cancer specialist nurses say their multidisciplinary teams are dysfunctional and their views not respected, a new study claims See page 10
AUSTERITY
School nurse cuts ‘put children at risk’
Children with asthma, epilepsy and diabetes are at risk in the classroom due to the accelerating loss of school nurses, the RCN warns. More than 550 school nurse posts have been lost since 2010, almost a fifth (19%) of the total number in England, according to NHS data. The fall has gathered pace in recent months, with more than a hundred posts lost so far this year. Despite statutory guidance from the Department for Education in 2014 that children with health conditions should be supported to go to school, full-time school nurse posts have fallen from 2,987 to 2,433 in England. RCN professional lead for children and young people’s nursing Fiona Smith said: ‘Every child has the right to an education and it is the government’s responsibility to make that happen.’
IN BRIEF
Health professionals have called for more first aid training for the public to ease strain on emergency departments. A report says first aid is a ‘lost skill’ seldom used before seeking emergency care. rcni.com/first-aid-poll
Fast fact
TWEET
‘We’re delighted to announce that Sir @Tony_Robinson will address members at our biggest ever #scrapthecap rally’ @theRCN RCN
For more on the RCN’s ‘biggest ever’ rally, go to rcni.com/Parliament-rally
Nurse shortages linked to higher patient mortality By Flavia Munn
@Flavers
Missed patient care due to nursing staff shortages increases death rates in hospital, a major international study reveals. Nurse academic and lead researcher Jane Ball said the findings provide the ‘missing link’ in understanding mortality rates: when nurse staffing is low, necessary care is left undone. The investigation into nurse staffing in nine European countries, including 31 NHS acute trusts in England, found mortality rates increased when care was missed. Each 10% increase in the amount of care left undone was associated with a 16% increase in the likelihood of a patient dying after a common surgical procedure, the study shows. University of Southampton principal research fellow Dr Ball, who led the research published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, said: ‘For years we have known there is a relationship between nurse staffing levels and hospital variation in mortality rates, but we have not had a good explanation as to how or why. ‘These results give the clearest indication yet that registered nurse staffing levels are not just associated with patient mortality, but that the relationship may be causal.’ Dr Ball added: ‘If there are not enough registered nurses on
hospital wards, necessary care is left undone and people’s lives are put at risk.’ The findings come from further analysis of the RN4CAST study, which has previously shown that lower nurse staffing levels are associated with higher mortality rates. The new research measured missed nursing care using a nurse survey that asked about activities such as patient surveillance, administering medicine on time, documentation, comforting patients and pain management. The analysis also looked at nurse qualifications and confirmed that hospitals with higher numbers of nurses trained to degree level have a lower risk of patient mortality. RCN general secretary Janet Davies said: ‘Despite years of warnings, hospitals across the country do not have enough nurses. This research puts beyond doubt the fact that patients pay the very highest price when the government permits nursing on the cheap. ‘As the nurse shortage bites, hospitals are filling wards with unregistered healthcare assistants in a bid to cope, especially at night. Ministers cannot ignore further evidence that the lack of registered nurses leads to people left in pain for longer and with a higher risk of not recovering at all.’
nursingstandard.com volume 32 number 1 /uses 30 August /9 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Sep 10, 2017. For personal use only. No other without 2017 permission. Copyright © 2017 RCN Publishing Company Ltd
1 in 10
prostate cancer specialist nurses say their multidisciplinary teams are dysfunctional and their views not respected, a new study claims See page 10
AUSTERITY
School nurse cuts ‘put children at risk’
Children with asthma, epilepsy and diabetes are at risk in the classroom due to the accelerating loss of school nurses, the RCN warns. More than 550 school nurse posts have been lost since 2010, almost a fifth (19%) of the total number in England, according to NHS data. The fall has gathered pace in recent months, with more than a hundred posts lost so far this year. Despite statutory guidance from the Department for Education in 2014 that children with health conditions should be supported to go to school, full-time school nurse posts have fallen from 2,987 to 2,433 in England. RCN professional lead for children and young people’s nursing Fiona Smith said: ‘Every child has the right to an education and it is the government’s responsibility to make that happen.’
IN BRIEF
Health professionals have called for more first aid training for the public to ease strain on emergency departments. A report says first aid is a ‘lost skill’ seldom used before seeking emergency care. rcni.com/first-aid-poll
Fast fact
TWEET
‘We’re delighted to announce that Sir @Tony_Robinson will address members at our biggest ever #scrapthecap rally’ @theRCN RCN
For more on the RCN’s ‘biggest ever’ rally, go to rcni.com/Parliament-rally
Nurse shortages linked to higher patient mortality By Flavia Munn
@Flavers
Missed patient care due to nursing staff shortages increases death rates in hospital, a major international study reveals. Nurse academic and lead researcher Jane Ball said the findings provide the ‘missing link’ in understanding mortality rates: when nurse staffing is low, necessary care is left undone. The investigation into nurse staffing in nine European countries, including 31 NHS acute trusts in England, found mortality rates increased when care was missed. Each 10% increase in the amount of care left undone was associated with a 16% increase in the likelihood of a patient dying after a common surgical procedure, the study shows. University of Southampton principal research fellow Dr Ball, who led the research published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, said: ‘For years we have known there is a relationship between nurse staffing levels and hospital variation in mortality rates, but we have not had a good explanation as to how or why. ‘These results give the clearest indication yet that registered nurse staffing levels are not just associated with patient mortality, but that the relationship may be causal.’ Dr Ball added: ‘If there are not enough registered nurses on
hospital wards, necessary care is left undone and people’s lives are put at risk.’ The findings come from further analysis of the RN4CAST study, which has previously shown that lower nurse staffing levels are associated with higher mortality rates. The new research measured missed nursing care using a nurse survey that asked about activities such as patient surveillance, administering medicine on time, documentation, comforting patients and pain management. The analysis also looked at nurse qualifications and confirmed that hospitals with higher numbers of nurses trained to degree level have a lower risk of patient mortality. RCN general secretary Janet Davies said: ‘Despite years of warnings, hospitals across the country do not have enough nurses. This research puts beyond doubt the fact that patients pay the very highest price when the government permits nursing on the cheap. ‘As the nurse shortage bites, hospitals are filling wards with unregistered healthcare assistants in a bid to cope, especially at night. Ministers cannot ignore further evidence that the lack of registered nurses leads to people left in pain for longer and with a higher risk of not recovering at all.’
nursingstandard.com volume 32 number 1 /uses 30 August /9 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Sep 10, 2017. For personal use only. No other without 2017 permission. Copyright © 2017 RCN Publishing Company Ltd
