News
NORTHERN IRELAND’S chief nurse has told the chief executives of the country’s five health and social care trusts to create more ‘permanent posts’. Charlotte McArdle said she has written to the chief executives to remind them of their responsibility to ensure ‘vacancies are filled’. ‘There is a lot of bank and agency in the system,’ she said. ‘I do not think it is always the best approach to staffing and it is not an efficient way to run the health service.’ She added: ‘Permanent staff have a higher level of skill, they know the ward, they know the environment and they know the patients, and that is what I would like to see progressed.’ Health minister Edwin Poots has given Ms McArdle responsibility for the country’s budget for training post-registration nurses, previously managed by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety human resources directorate. A date for the transfer of the £7.3 million budget for 2013/14 has yet to be agreed.
Schwartz rounds to be evaluated by national research unit NURSE ACADEMICS are to carry out a major study into the effect of monthly meetings where staff share their worries and concerns about compassionate care. The National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU), at King’s College London, will undertake a three-year evaluation of Schwartz Center Rounds, which were developed in the United States. These are staff meetings to discuss stresses and dilemmas faced while caring for patients. In his report into care failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, Robert Francis championed the benefits of Schwartz rounds on compassionate care. The Department of Health announced a £650,000 grant last year to expand the NURSING MANAGEMENT
Neil O’Connor
Chief nurse urges less reliance on agency and bank staff
National day of action highlights nurse unity over pay NURSES ACROSS England took part in a ‘day of action’ last month in protest at the government’s refusal to give all NHS workers a 1% pay rise. Events were organised by the RCN and other health unions, and featured giant cheques for £1.5 billion, the approximate annual value of unpaid overtime that is said to be worked by NHS staff. scheme across the NHS, and Schwartz rounds are currently used in more than 60 organisations. NNRU director Jill Maben, who will lead the study, said it will focus on how the meetings affect care and patient experience. ‘Schwartz rounds appear to provide an important space for staff to detail the highs and lows of their work and gain support and insight from colleagues.’
Tackle bad practice immediately, ward managers warned WARD MANAGERS are not addressing poor performance when it arises because they wrongly believe they cannot act without a formal human resources plan, a conference heard. Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust director of nursing, quality and patient services Nicola Ranger addressed the problem at a conference on revalidation
RCN general secretary Peter Carter (pictured fourth from the right) took part in an event at the NHS Confederation conference in Liverpool. He said: ‘It is high time that the government listens to nursing staff’s concerns and gives them the pay rise they deserve.’ The college has also launched a What if? campaign for fair pay. For details, go to frontlinefirst.rcn.org.uk/whatif and appraisals. ‘Nurses are either being performance managed or they get no feedback,’ she told the audience of senior nurses. ‘If you see something that is not right, say it there and then.’ She contrasted her experience in UK hospitals with time spent working in the United States, where she received daily feedback on her care and her manager provided a detailed appraisal. Director of GTR Coaching, which works with staff in leadership positions, Ali Richards said: ‘People seem to think appraisals are an exercise they do once or twice a year and nothing in between.’ Ms Richards, who has worked as a staff nurse, added: ‘It should not be a top-down process or for one person to just ask questions. It should be a freeflowing conversation.’ Appraisals will form a key part of the new revalidation system from December 2015. See analysis, pages 8-9, and opinion, page 12 July 2014 | Volume 21 | Number 4
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NORTHERN IRELAND’S chief nurse has told the chief executives of the country’s five health and social care trusts to create more ‘permanent posts’. Charlotte McArdle said she has written to the chief executives to remind them of their responsibility to ensure ‘vacancies are filled’. ‘There is a lot of bank and agency in the system,’ she said. ‘I do not think it is always the best approach to staffing and it is not an efficient way to run the health service.’ She added: ‘Permanent staff have a higher level of skill, they know the ward, they know the environment and they know the patients, and that is what I would like to see progressed.’ Health minister Edwin Poots has given Ms McArdle responsibility for the country’s budget for training post-registration nurses, previously managed by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety human resources directorate. A date for the transfer of the £7.3 million budget for 2013/14 has yet to be agreed.
Schwartz rounds to be evaluated by national research unit NURSE ACADEMICS are to carry out a major study into the effect of monthly meetings where staff share their worries and concerns about compassionate care. The National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU), at King’s College London, will undertake a three-year evaluation of Schwartz Center Rounds, which were developed in the United States. These are staff meetings to discuss stresses and dilemmas faced while caring for patients. In his report into care failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, Robert Francis championed the benefits of Schwartz rounds on compassionate care. The Department of Health announced a £650,000 grant last year to expand the NURSING MANAGEMENT
Neil O’Connor
Chief nurse urges less reliance on agency and bank staff
National day of action highlights nurse unity over pay NURSES ACROSS England took part in a ‘day of action’ last month in protest at the government’s refusal to give all NHS workers a 1% pay rise. Events were organised by the RCN and other health unions, and featured giant cheques for £1.5 billion, the approximate annual value of unpaid overtime that is said to be worked by NHS staff. scheme across the NHS, and Schwartz rounds are currently used in more than 60 organisations. NNRU director Jill Maben, who will lead the study, said it will focus on how the meetings affect care and patient experience. ‘Schwartz rounds appear to provide an important space for staff to detail the highs and lows of their work and gain support and insight from colleagues.’
Tackle bad practice immediately, ward managers warned WARD MANAGERS are not addressing poor performance when it arises because they wrongly believe they cannot act without a formal human resources plan, a conference heard. Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust director of nursing, quality and patient services Nicola Ranger addressed the problem at a conference on revalidation
RCN general secretary Peter Carter (pictured fourth from the right) took part in an event at the NHS Confederation conference in Liverpool. He said: ‘It is high time that the government listens to nursing staff’s concerns and gives them the pay rise they deserve.’ The college has also launched a What if? campaign for fair pay. For details, go to frontlinefirst.rcn.org.uk/whatif and appraisals. ‘Nurses are either being performance managed or they get no feedback,’ she told the audience of senior nurses. ‘If you see something that is not right, say it there and then.’ She contrasted her experience in UK hospitals with time spent working in the United States, where she received daily feedback on her care and her manager provided a detailed appraisal. Director of GTR Coaching, which works with staff in leadership positions, Ali Richards said: ‘People seem to think appraisals are an exercise they do once or twice a year and nothing in between.’ Ms Richards, who has worked as a staff nurse, added: ‘It should not be a top-down process or for one person to just ask questions. It should be a freeflowing conversation.’ Appraisals will form a key part of the new revalidation system from December 2015. See analysis, pages 8-9, and opinion, page 12 July 2014 | Volume 21 | Number 4
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 29, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
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