helP me ReSeARch eDITh cAvell, who SAveD A RelATIve of mINe I was moved by Terri Arthur’s account of nurse Edith Cavell, her arrest for treason and execution in 1915 (Reflections October 16). Almost a century after her death, Miss Cavell’s professionalism and courage continue to inspire us. For me, there is also a strong personal connection. Among the 200 or so Allied soldiers she helped escape from German-occupied Belgium was Sergeant Jesse Tunmore of the First Norfolk Regiment, a relative of mine. My family and I owe her a great debt. After Miss Cavell’s execution, a national charity was established. The Cavell Nurses’ Trust continues to support nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants in need, along with providing student scholarships. As part of the trust’s centenary fundraising campaign, I am trying to trace other descendants of the soldiers she helped, as well as the nurses she worked with, to hear their stories and raise awareness of Miss Cavell’s work. Please email me at robert.tunmore@ dh.gsi.gov.uk if you have a story to tell. Robert Tunmore, by email
SPIRITUAl cARe IS SomeThING ThAT GoeS beyoND RelIGIoN Thank you for the article on the pros and cons of the cost of employing NHS-funded chaplains, particularly at a time when the NHS is cutting staff and services (Features October 16). I read this piece carefully and finally found the word ‘spiritual’ used once in the penultimate paragraph. Spirituality is not the same as religion. I have the utmost respect for the right of individuals to follow any chosen faith, and would defend fiercely their need for appropriate support. However, your cover line ‘Spiritual care – the case for and against employing chaplains in the health service’ only perpetuates the confusion between religion and spirituality. Spirituality is about so much more than faith. People with no faith also
NURSING STANDARD
have spiritual needs. It could be argued that people who do not believe in a god might have even greater spiritual needs as they try to understand the meaning of life, especially in times of ill health or other suffering. Liz Docker, by email
IT SADDeNS me ThAT RAce SeemS To hAve DRoPPeD off The AGeNDA Your Black History Month special issue was most interesting and informative (October 2). I am white English, but many of my colleagues and patients come from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, so it saddens me that race seems to have dropped off the healthcare agenda. We hear little about diversity and equality from today’s NHS leaders. None of the nurse leaders making keynote speeches at this year’s RCN congress highlighted the issue of race. I suspect that many BME nurses are being disproportionately affected by cutbacks and redundancies. Are there any figures available on this? The NHS Leadership Academy’s Mary Seacole programme may be doing great work, but I had not heard of it before the article in this issue. The NHS would be a much better organisation if there were more BME nurses and managers at the top of it. Christine Clark, by email
cARING ReSPoNSIbIlITIeS DeSeRve fUNDING AND SocIAl RecoGNITIoN It needs to be emphasised that nurses do not work in a socio-political vacuum. In particular, many female nurses are faced with the demands of caring responsibilities in their domestic lives as well as their professional ones. They bear the brunt of a society that demands high quality personal and professional care, but is unwilling to fund it fully. We need to argue for the social value of care and against the individualised provision of care falling unfairly on the shoulders of those who often do not have the resources to provide it. Benny Goodman, by email
TWEETS OF THE WEEK How many people in favour of more competition in health care have seriously considered its impact on staff resilience and compassion? #NHS @mellojonny
Despite a challenging day yesterday I had three lovely pieces of feedback about our nurses. That’s what makes me #proud @sphams
Meeting Mum’s comm nurse 2day that = 7 health/soc care profs involved in her care. Not 1 knows much about the person she is @suzysopenheart
#lcp trial underplays improved respect, dignity and kindness, and control of breathlessness on lcp wards. All vital to patients and families @cancerNursingEd
To learn what killed him, he has to be dead. Not killing him changes what we learn, how we learn and when we learn it #inspectiondoesn’twork @RoyLilley
@LDnursechat Where does physical-restraint fit with the 6Cs? How does restraining, secluding, overmedicating fit with compassionate care? @BenT_DH
Follow Nursing Standard @NScomment and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm october 23 :: vol 28 no 8 :: 2013 35
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SPIRITUAl cARe IS SomeThING ThAT GoeS beyoND RelIGIoN Thank you for the article on the pros and cons of the cost of employing NHS-funded chaplains, particularly at a time when the NHS is cutting staff and services (Features October 16). I read this piece carefully and finally found the word ‘spiritual’ used once in the penultimate paragraph. Spirituality is not the same as religion. I have the utmost respect for the right of individuals to follow any chosen faith, and would defend fiercely their need for appropriate support. However, your cover line ‘Spiritual care – the case for and against employing chaplains in the health service’ only perpetuates the confusion between religion and spirituality. Spirituality is about so much more than faith. People with no faith also
NURSING STANDARD
have spiritual needs. It could be argued that people who do not believe in a god might have even greater spiritual needs as they try to understand the meaning of life, especially in times of ill health or other suffering. Liz Docker, by email
IT SADDeNS me ThAT RAce SeemS To hAve DRoPPeD off The AGeNDA Your Black History Month special issue was most interesting and informative (October 2). I am white English, but many of my colleagues and patients come from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, so it saddens me that race seems to have dropped off the healthcare agenda. We hear little about diversity and equality from today’s NHS leaders. None of the nurse leaders making keynote speeches at this year’s RCN congress highlighted the issue of race. I suspect that many BME nurses are being disproportionately affected by cutbacks and redundancies. Are there any figures available on this? The NHS Leadership Academy’s Mary Seacole programme may be doing great work, but I had not heard of it before the article in this issue. The NHS would be a much better organisation if there were more BME nurses and managers at the top of it. Christine Clark, by email
cARING ReSPoNSIbIlITIeS DeSeRve fUNDING AND SocIAl RecoGNITIoN It needs to be emphasised that nurses do not work in a socio-political vacuum. In particular, many female nurses are faced with the demands of caring responsibilities in their domestic lives as well as their professional ones. They bear the brunt of a society that demands high quality personal and professional care, but is unwilling to fund it fully. We need to argue for the social value of care and against the individualised provision of care falling unfairly on the shoulders of those who often do not have the resources to provide it. Benny Goodman, by email
TWEETS OF THE WEEK How many people in favour of more competition in health care have seriously considered its impact on staff resilience and compassion? #NHS @mellojonny
Despite a challenging day yesterday I had three lovely pieces of feedback about our nurses. That’s what makes me #proud @sphams
Meeting Mum’s comm nurse 2day that = 7 health/soc care profs involved in her care. Not 1 knows much about the person she is @suzysopenheart
#lcp trial underplays improved respect, dignity and kindness, and control of breathlessness on lcp wards. All vital to patients and families @cancerNursingEd
To learn what killed him, he has to be dead. Not killing him changes what we learn, how we learn and when we learn it #inspectiondoesn’twork @RoyLilley
@LDnursechat Where does physical-restraint fit with the 6Cs? How does restraining, secluding, overmedicating fit with compassionate care? @BenT_DH
Follow Nursing Standard @NScomment and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm october 23 :: vol 28 no 8 :: 2013 35
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 08, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
