Graham Scott

New framework should be given a fair chance

A commitment to ensuring the right staff are in the right place at the right time appears at number nine on the list of ten commitments that underpin the new framework for nursing in England. Others include a pledge to improve education, training and professional development, and a drive to ramp up nursing research with a view to developing a stronger evidence-base for nursing care.

Equipment and staffing are vital to 6Cs' success.

Twelve months ago this week, Englands chief nurse Jane Cummings launched the 6Cs, her flagship policy setting out the core values that underpin excellent nursing care. In this weeks issue, we look at how the policy is working in practice and speak to nurses who have made fundamental changes as a d

A time for regulation

Enrolled nurses (ENs) were introduced during the second world war as an emergency measure. The move was designed to boost nurse numbers by making it easier for people with few qualifications to join the profession. At one stage they made up a third of the nursing workforce, but none have been trained since the 1980s and their numbers have dwindled to just a few thousand. Developments in the profession mean they are returning, albeit in a different guise.

New education standards could strengthen nurses’ standing

We are not yet a quarter of our way through 2017, but already it is shaping up to be a momentous year for the nursing profession. Rarely have such significant changes converged over the same 12 months as they will between now and next winter.

Tackling the nursing shortage: recruitment or retention?

Becoming a nurse used to be pretty straightforward. The vast majority of potential recruits applied to their local nursing school, learned on the job, qualified after three years and started work straightaway.

Hospices need funding to maintain high standards.

Such awareness-raising exercises are of limited value, given how crowded the calendar has become, but they do serve a purpose in that they can focus media attention on a given issue. Hospices had their moment in the headlines over the weekend because the Care Quality Commission (CQC) issued a press release highlighting the consistently high quality of care being provided by nurses and other staff in these special places.

Nurses’ voices amplify reality of staff shortages

Such comments help paint a picture of a health service under serious strain. Almost two thirds of the 3,000 nursing staff who took part in the survey said they did not have enough time with patients, and more than half reported that care was not being provided as a result. It is shocking that 45 per cent of nurses said they were caring for more than eight patients at a time, a situation which has been proved to be dangerous. Unison’s head of nursing Gail Adams called this kind of pressure unsustainable and reminded us, ‘Harm occurs when staffi ng levels are not right.’

Resist the call to install cameras in care homes.

Last weeks BBC Panorama documentary depicting the abuse of older people in a south London care home reignited the debate about whether CCTV should be installed in such settings. Those in favour argue that abuse would be prevented if the perpetrators feared being caught on camera. However, there is a long list of reasons why the introduction of such surveillance systems on a routine basis should be resisted.

There’s still time to make a pledge for Change Day

Last Saturday was World Thinking Day, the next couple of weeks have been designated Fairtrade Fortnight and celebrations are planned throughout March to mark National Bed Month. Staff in marketing departments across the land spend their lives dreaming up such awareness days, weeks and months, to the point where every day we are asked to think about something different.

Without the resources, quality will suffer.

More than 2,500 Nursing Standard readers responded to our recent survey on the standard of care they are able to deliver. The results indicate there is no panacea that would lead to a marked improvement, although there is a consensus that increasing the number of registered nurses and support staff would make a huge difference.