Letters
Send your views by email to [email protected], the letters editor @RogerEvansE1, post on the Nursing Standard Facebook page or visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk
Please keep letters to a maximum of 200 words, and include your full name and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited
Apologies should not be seen as an admission of guilt or wrong-doing The RCN is to be congratulated for its excellent and straightforward ‘Good practice for handling feedback’ guide (News November 19). We are too often on the defensive when it comes to dealing with negative feedback and complaints. Apologies should not be seen as an admission of guilt or wrong-doing, or an acceptance of guilt. As the guide states: ‘It’s never easy to hear people say challenging things about the way we do our jobs.’ But our focus needs to be on the active listening, taking in the feedback and learning from our mistakes or things we have overlooked or not had time for. We always need to bear in mind that most patients and relatives are reluctant to complain, often for fear of the consequences or repercussions. This can create awkwardness. But identifying with the person’s concerns is a great start to managing difficult encounters. We should try looking at things from the point of view of our patients sometimes. I often hear that nurses and doctors are the most difficult patients. This may be true, but I know that I became a much more caring practitioner after I had surgery and a long period of convalescence. Sally Harding, by email
WALES LEADS THE WAY IN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR VETERANS It is interesting to note the concern of ‘an influential group of MPs’ calling for greater investment to support veterans experiencing mental health problems (Editorial, News and Reflections November 5). Readers should note that this refers exclusively to England. While the Welsh Government has come in for some fierce criticism from Westminster in recent times, it cannot be criticised
for not being proactive in this area. It has been funding Veterans’ NHS Wales since 2010. This support is based on a rigorously evaluated pilot programme, with veterans’ therapists fully embedded within each health board. As the service grows and matures, it will need to continue to be proactive to meet the sometimes complex needs of its constituents. That said, the needs of the majority are not exclusively complex. Timely, focused interventions can lead to remarkable results. Context is essential in dealing with emotive issues and it should be remembered that the majority of veterans are well-adjusted people, who, like us all, aspire to good jobs, accommodation, health care and education for their children. Indeed, many NHS staff across the UK are veterans, having served in the conflicts of the past 20 years. However, when the need is there,
a proactive approach such as that adopted by the Welsh Government in the form of Veterans’ NHS Wales is both welcome and promising. Kevin Davies, emeritus professor, University of South Wales
TOO MANY PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA ARE DENIED THE CARE THEY NEED Further to the letter from Catharine Jenkins, ‘It is unfair for GPs to be paid £55 for every dementia diagnosis’ (October 29), it would be wrong to overstate the level of financial incentive. These incentives are paid to GP practices – not individuals – and are unlikely to amount to more than a few hundred pounds a year. Dementia is an absolutely devastating condition, and there are too many people undiagnosed who are being denied the care they need. We cannot tinker at the edges. We need to make a fundamental breakthrough, a step change.
32 november 26from :: vol 29 no 13by:: ${individualUser.displayName} 2014 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com on Nov 24, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Send your views by email to [email protected], the letters editor @RogerEvansE1, post on the Nursing Standard Facebook page or visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk
Please keep letters to a maximum of 200 words, and include your full name and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited
Apologies should not be seen as an admission of guilt or wrong-doing The RCN is to be congratulated for its excellent and straightforward ‘Good practice for handling feedback’ guide (News November 19). We are too often on the defensive when it comes to dealing with negative feedback and complaints. Apologies should not be seen as an admission of guilt or wrong-doing, or an acceptance of guilt. As the guide states: ‘It’s never easy to hear people say challenging things about the way we do our jobs.’ But our focus needs to be on the active listening, taking in the feedback and learning from our mistakes or things we have overlooked or not had time for. We always need to bear in mind that most patients and relatives are reluctant to complain, often for fear of the consequences or repercussions. This can create awkwardness. But identifying with the person’s concerns is a great start to managing difficult encounters. We should try looking at things from the point of view of our patients sometimes. I often hear that nurses and doctors are the most difficult patients. This may be true, but I know that I became a much more caring practitioner after I had surgery and a long period of convalescence. Sally Harding, by email
WALES LEADS THE WAY IN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR VETERANS It is interesting to note the concern of ‘an influential group of MPs’ calling for greater investment to support veterans experiencing mental health problems (Editorial, News and Reflections November 5). Readers should note that this refers exclusively to England. While the Welsh Government has come in for some fierce criticism from Westminster in recent times, it cannot be criticised
for not being proactive in this area. It has been funding Veterans’ NHS Wales since 2010. This support is based on a rigorously evaluated pilot programme, with veterans’ therapists fully embedded within each health board. As the service grows and matures, it will need to continue to be proactive to meet the sometimes complex needs of its constituents. That said, the needs of the majority are not exclusively complex. Timely, focused interventions can lead to remarkable results. Context is essential in dealing with emotive issues and it should be remembered that the majority of veterans are well-adjusted people, who, like us all, aspire to good jobs, accommodation, health care and education for their children. Indeed, many NHS staff across the UK are veterans, having served in the conflicts of the past 20 years. However, when the need is there,
a proactive approach such as that adopted by the Welsh Government in the form of Veterans’ NHS Wales is both welcome and promising. Kevin Davies, emeritus professor, University of South Wales
TOO MANY PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA ARE DENIED THE CARE THEY NEED Further to the letter from Catharine Jenkins, ‘It is unfair for GPs to be paid £55 for every dementia diagnosis’ (October 29), it would be wrong to overstate the level of financial incentive. These incentives are paid to GP practices – not individuals – and are unlikely to amount to more than a few hundred pounds a year. Dementia is an absolutely devastating condition, and there are too many people undiagnosed who are being denied the care they need. We cannot tinker at the edges. We need to make a fundamental breakthrough, a step change.
32 november 26from :: vol 29 no 13by:: ${individualUser.displayName} 2014 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com on Nov 24, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
