NEWS
Rethink care home career pathways to boost recruitment, says professor @JenniferSprinks
Urgent research is needed to devise a more structured career development pathway in care homes to boost the recruitment and retention of nurses, a nurse academic has warned. University of Leeds professor of nursing Karen Spilsbury told Nursing Standard: ‘There is a big issue around recruitment and retention of nurses in the care home sector and making working in a care home a positive career choice. When nurses in other settings look at care home nursing they think of it as something that people do when they cannot get a job elsewhere.’ Professor Spilsbury made the comments based on research she led while working at the University of York, which was funded by the RCN Foundation and published this month. The university’s research involved a literature review followed by a series of surveys with 352 participants, including care home nurses, care home managers, nurse educators and district nurses.
there is much more work that needs to be done in this area.’ The research, Supporting Nursing in Care Homes, found a 29% annual turnover of nurses in adult social care, with more than half of nurses employed in their current roles for fewer than three years. Professor Spilsbury added that more pre-registration practice placements are needed in care homes, which will involve ensuring there are enough mentors available to support students. Many of the project participants suggested that a post-registration
specialist qualification for the care of older people would be beneficial ‘to ensure the nursing care home workforce is “fit for purpose”’. Professor Spilsbury said: ‘There is recognition that if you are going to work with older people it is a specialist area, but so many people think it is generic and therefore does not require specialist knowledge. But older people often have complex needs so having specialist knowledge to liaise with other healthcare professionals, specialists and GPs is important.’ Supporting Nursing in Care Homes can be read at tinyurl.com/n5mlhmw
A nurse treats a patient with sunlight in the courtyard of the Royal London Hospital, c1900
ROYAL LONDON HOSPITAL ARCHIVES & MUSEUM
By Jennifer Sprinks
Creative thinking
Two thirds of the respondents stated that they do not consider undergraduate pre-registration nurse education to be preparing the future nursing workforce for a role in the care home sector or that care homes provide supportive learning opportunities. Furthermore, more than 50% said the care home sector does not provide challenging and rewarding career pathways. ‘The study reveals that nurses need more meaningful career and development opportunities in care homes,’ said Professor Spilsbury. ‘Rather than remain a registered nurse, we need to look more creatively at what a career pathway looks like and
SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON NURSES’ ROLE A photographic exhibition showcasing the history of light therapy and the role played by nurses in delivering the treatment will be held at the Florence Nightingale Museum from next month. The Kiss of Light: Nursing and Light Therapy in 20th century Britain will open on May 12 – Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Funded by the Wellcome Trust, the exhibition will chronicle the development of light therapy.
Florence Nightingale Museum director Natasha McEnroe said: ‘We are delighted to reveal the hidden role that nurses played in this groundbreaking treatment.’ The controversial therapy was first introduced in Britain in the late 19th century. It was used predominantly for children to combat tuberculosis and rickets in clinics and sanatoria. Nurses had to take great care that the therapy did not burn or cause blindness to their patients.
NURSING aprilNo 29other :: voluses 29without no 35 ::permission. 2015 9 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 12, 2015. For personal use only. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rethink care home career pathways to boost recruitment, says professor @JenniferSprinks
Urgent research is needed to devise a more structured career development pathway in care homes to boost the recruitment and retention of nurses, a nurse academic has warned. University of Leeds professor of nursing Karen Spilsbury told Nursing Standard: ‘There is a big issue around recruitment and retention of nurses in the care home sector and making working in a care home a positive career choice. When nurses in other settings look at care home nursing they think of it as something that people do when they cannot get a job elsewhere.’ Professor Spilsbury made the comments based on research she led while working at the University of York, which was funded by the RCN Foundation and published this month. The university’s research involved a literature review followed by a series of surveys with 352 participants, including care home nurses, care home managers, nurse educators and district nurses.
there is much more work that needs to be done in this area.’ The research, Supporting Nursing in Care Homes, found a 29% annual turnover of nurses in adult social care, with more than half of nurses employed in their current roles for fewer than three years. Professor Spilsbury added that more pre-registration practice placements are needed in care homes, which will involve ensuring there are enough mentors available to support students. Many of the project participants suggested that a post-registration
specialist qualification for the care of older people would be beneficial ‘to ensure the nursing care home workforce is “fit for purpose”’. Professor Spilsbury said: ‘There is recognition that if you are going to work with older people it is a specialist area, but so many people think it is generic and therefore does not require specialist knowledge. But older people often have complex needs so having specialist knowledge to liaise with other healthcare professionals, specialists and GPs is important.’ Supporting Nursing in Care Homes can be read at tinyurl.com/n5mlhmw
A nurse treats a patient with sunlight in the courtyard of the Royal London Hospital, c1900
ROYAL LONDON HOSPITAL ARCHIVES & MUSEUM
By Jennifer Sprinks
Creative thinking
Two thirds of the respondents stated that they do not consider undergraduate pre-registration nurse education to be preparing the future nursing workforce for a role in the care home sector or that care homes provide supportive learning opportunities. Furthermore, more than 50% said the care home sector does not provide challenging and rewarding career pathways. ‘The study reveals that nurses need more meaningful career and development opportunities in care homes,’ said Professor Spilsbury. ‘Rather than remain a registered nurse, we need to look more creatively at what a career pathway looks like and
SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON NURSES’ ROLE A photographic exhibition showcasing the history of light therapy and the role played by nurses in delivering the treatment will be held at the Florence Nightingale Museum from next month. The Kiss of Light: Nursing and Light Therapy in 20th century Britain will open on May 12 – Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Funded by the Wellcome Trust, the exhibition will chronicle the development of light therapy.
Florence Nightingale Museum director Natasha McEnroe said: ‘We are delighted to reveal the hidden role that nurses played in this groundbreaking treatment.’ The controversial therapy was first introduced in Britain in the late 19th century. It was used predominantly for children to combat tuberculosis and rickets in clinics and sanatoria. Nurses had to take great care that the therapy did not burn or cause blindness to their patients.
NURSING aprilNo 29other :: voluses 29without no 35 ::permission. 2015 9 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 12, 2015. For personal use only. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
