Search

The salient aspects of the iCARE philosophy implemented by nurses at Yeovil District Hospital to improve quality of care provided to patients and interactions with patients' relatives and carers, while also boosting employee morale, are discussed. Based on the concept of every employee's involvement in providing appropriate communication, care, respect and environment, the ongoing iCARE initiative has changed the working of the hospital staff drastically for the better.

Facilitators are explained the best methods of implementing the Productive Ward program initiated by the NHS. The program consists of 11 modules that helps empower staff to make necessary changes in wards and incorporate new management ideas smoothly and successfully.

The article discusses that it is a very unfair practice being implemented by hospital trusts wherein they are charging nurses for parking. Nursing Times has launched a free parking campaign for nurses asking the trusts to abolish parking charges for nurses.

The important role of health care assistants is being undermined within the UK National Health Service, which fails to recognize the career aspirations and educational needs of a vital group of nursing staff. Up to 83,000 health care assistants in the UK work long hours and undertake menial tasks for a salary of 6,500 pounds sterling. The government is seeking to encourage health care assistants to apply for nursing qualifications and better their status within society.

The establishment of a nurse development program for UK grade D nurses has improved staff retention by 15% from 1998 to 1999 at the West Middlesex University Hospital, London. The project aims to allow all junior staff the opportunity to train within different departments at the hospital, build career strengths and skills for the future. The scheme also improves training and gives staff a change to take up continuous learning opportunities. Nurses attending the project feel more confident in advancing their careers.

The UK National Health Service is increasingly relying on agency and bank nurses to work on hospital wards. The effects of this situation on patient care must be considered, particularly when, in some areas, agency staff outnumber permanent staff. Implications for patient wellbeing include the effects of poor continuity of care, the possible irrelevance of the temporary nurse's training for a particular ward or level of care, poor relationships between temporary staff and both patients and permanent members of staff, and the long hours often worked by bank and agency staff.

Trusts that are placed in outer London continue to face bigger problems as they are unable to keep good nursing staff as they are all opting for jobs in central London city. Nurses in central London are able to earn nearly pound sterling a year more as compared to nurses in outer London; which is a much more appealing prospect.

The article discusses and evaluates how trusts in England are implementing the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) that was intended to ensure the Agenda for Change by improving NHS productivity through better training and development. KSF was initially successful; however, is no longer being implemented by most trusts in England.

The article assesses the reasons that nursing staff resort to patient restraint. Hospitals are taking disciplinary action against uncalled for restraint and imparting the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) training to staff in an effort to address the problem.

The Knowledge and Skills Framework has been recently relaunched in the U.K. to change the working scenario of the hospitals. Several organizations and structures are being developed for the purpose.

A study was conducted to understand staff perceptions of the role of the hospital palliative care team and to identify knowledge and confidence levels of general staff caring for patients with palliative care needs. The findings have considerable implications for palliative care services including the requirement of staff that is clear about how to obtain advice and what support is available for cancer patients.

The A&E at St. George's Hospital, south London, is one of the best-performing casualty departments in the UK but the nurses struggled to treat five out of ten patients within the government's target time of four hours. A senior nursing team has revamped staff rotas and introduced new works of art, making sure that clinical processes are right before pressing ahead with changes.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust is using action learning approach for implementation of programme to support and develop the role of its 12 matrons. This has boosted the matronsE competencies and confidence as well as instilled a spirit of group work among them for tackling the issues that affect the organization as a whole.

A survey conducted by the Healthcare Commission revealed that there was a lack of nursing staff in the hospitals. In the wake of the survey findings, the RCN is planning to canvas members on the ground to identify the day-to-day pressures nurses face in the modern NHS.

The pay for nurse should be increased so as to increase the number of applicants for training. This would also lead to smooth working of hospitals.

While the prospect of greater autonomy for hospital trusts under the British National Health Service is welcome, the announcement by one hospital chief executive that the post of matron may be eliminated was unwelcome. The matron is a nursing administrator who insure proper procedures and sanitation are being done.

Diane Gilmour, an administrator at Surrey and Sussex Health Care, spoke at the National Association of Theater Nurses about harassment and bullying of nurses by their managers or colleagues. She believes an harassment officer like the one used at her hospital should be expanded to the entire National Health Service.

The director of nursing at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, England describes the career development for nurses and midwives that she helped develop. Nurses are rotated to different departments and allowed other opportunities for professional development education.

A clinical lead and senior nurse at London's University College Hospital's hematology unit has developed an innovative team. Stephen Howley recognizes the power senior nurses have and sees the importance of using it constructively. He has made major changes.

Implementing a series of developmental programmes can help introduce a more positive working culture in hospital if managers support and encourage change. Many hospitals suffer from a poor working relationship between management and nursing staff, with both sides feeling unsupported or untrusted. A review of hospital policies and sensitive questioning of staff will reveal weaknesses in the working culture which can be improved through the use of development programmes.

A critical health review of health services at the Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland has drawn nursing staff together, according to nursing officers. The report focused on service improvements which could be made to health provision after two deaths occurred in the hospital. Nurses at the Victoria Infirmary are determined to overcome problems by improving staff morale and introducing stricter procedural guidelines, which will improve the hospital's public image within the community.

The Allitt and Jenkinson enquiries recommended that health authorities should implement stringent appointment procedures to prevent mentally ill people being employed. It is difficult to detect people with a personality disorder but self-harming, eating disorders and absences from work indicate personality problems. These steps may discriminate against people who have a mental illness and do not prevent a determined person from slipping through the system. It is important not to automatically associate mental illness with dangerousness. Improving nursing practices is a better strategy.

The Allitt enquiry recommended that health authorities should not employ staff who have personality disorders or have had lots of counselling. Some authorities have been very lax in enforcing the recommendations but others have enforced them stringently and refused everyone who has had any incidence of mental illness. This may make applicants reluctant to report any problems they have and it also means that nurses who could empathize with mental health patients are disbarred from entry into the profession. A better strategy would be to monitor staff more closely.

Diane Abbott MP recently criticised Homerton Hospital, in London, England, for employing 30 nurses from Finland rather than local nurses. Abbott claims this is an example of racism within the system. There is a shortage of nurses in the UK and many hospitals are recruiting from abroad. The Royal College of Nursing claims that trainee nurses have dropped from 37,000 full-time equivalents in 1983 to 14,000 in 1995, with a further drop to 8,000 anticipated for 1997-98. A table giving staffing level changes since 1985 is included.

The first performance related pay scheme for nursing and midwifery staff in the UK is under way at Derby City General Hospital Trust. More than 900 staff are taking part in the Professional Contribution Rating Scheme for Nurses, Midwives and Healthcare Assistants. Nurse managers have attended a short course to learn how to assess staff performance and interviews are being conducted. Pay rises of between 0% and 6% are on offer depending upon an individual's performance based on 15 pre-agreed criteria. Ratings range from unsatisfactory to outstanding.

The future number of nurses required in hospitals would change due to the introduction of day-care surgery and similar developments, but some feel that he size of the nursing workforce should not be automatically reduced. The training level should be maintained as nurses will be increasingly based in GP practices, with the number of nurses required in elderly health care also rising. Others feel that the employment conditions for nurses are being threatened by over-supply while the National Health Service continues to train nurses who may not in future be required.

The article discusses the Safer Care workforce planning component of Energizing for Excellence, a quality initiative by England's regional nursing directors. The initiative is expected to reveal that many general and geriatric hospital wards do not have a sufficient amount of nurses, while others have too many.

Changing the shift patterns of the nursing staff of an acute female medical ward with 24 beds saw a rise in the morale of staff and improved patient care. The changes mean each nurse would work five days and have nine days off over a two-week period, and would work every other weekend. The working day has been organized into an early shift starting at 7:30 am and ending at 4 pm, and a late shift between 1 pm and 9:30 pm, with the latter shift overlapping into the night shift by 45 minutes as an aid to communications.

Several NHS hospitals and trusts are planning to downgrade nursing roles by replacing some registered nurses with cheaper, unregistered staff that are paid at a lower rate. The nurse swap is taking place in response to financial constraints and a shortage of experienced nurses.

The British Society of Gastroenterology has revealed that every UK hospital needs to have a gastroenterology nurse specialist, as they are an important part of the multidisciplinary team that provides high-quality care. Specialist nurses are the interface that patients value the most and play a predominant role in patient care.

The article discusses the benefits of the BlackBerry nurse alert system which greatly helps reduce hospital stays for patients by alerting nurses to unplanned admissions. The Recurring Admission Patient Alert System collects patient data and information and makes it accessible to all staff needing it.

Scotland is in the process of abolishing hospital car parking fees for staff and visitors. According to the public and nurses paying for car parking represents an additional tax and go against the principle of care being free at the point of delivery.

Manchester Royal Infirmary has initiated a novel alert system in a medical assessment and general ward that permits nurses to spend more time with patients. The system alarm automatically goes off if any abnormal readings are detected against those entered by the nurse on a hand-held computer alerting the concerned staff.

Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust, a historic hospital trust in Manchester will have to cut down on around 210 posts and reduce 2 wards in a bid to carry on functioning in the future. Unions and the trust are in talks to amicably work out a compromise.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has set a precedent by asking 5,000 staff to reapply for their jobs as a measure to cut financial deficits. The Midlands hospital trust also has asked all 2,000 of its nurses to reapply aiming to reduce a deficit of pound sterling 23 million.

Peter Lowe outlines his plans as head of nursing at Unison, the United Kingdom's public service union. Plans include reinstating salaries for students attending universities for nursing degrees and establishing job description standards for hospital workers.

Issues are presented concerning the growing instances of patient care which is delegated to or overseen by nurses due to the shortage of junior doctors at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London.

A description is presented of the experiences of a 36-year-old male nurse who became partially deaf after suffering from an acoustic neuroma following a viral infection. The adaptations which he has made are discussed.

Chancellor Gordon Brown is calling for volunteers in the NHS. Some people believe that volunteers can provide beneficial services if their roles and resources are planned carefully, while others feel that the use of volunteers in health care will devalue the wages and skills of low-paid staff.

Challenges faced by nurses entering into full-time employment and Leicester General Hospital's support group for new nurses are discussed.

Hospitals will have to adapt their shift patterns to accommodate nurses who have family commitments so that they can work fixed shifts, part time, regular nights or have more flexible starting times. This may be unpopular with full-time staff but it can be effective if routines are altered and communication systems are improved. Nurse education, which is traditionally conducted during office hours, should be made more flexible so staff can keep their expertise up to date. New policies can be developed if management adopt a more progressive approach.

A National Health Service Trust in Birmingham, UK, has introduced measures to combat staff bullying. Contact officers will listen to complaints from staff and try to stop the offending behaviour before it develops into a larger issue. Everything which is discussed is confidential and this is important because often it is the person's line manager who is responsible for the bullying. The contact officer will approach the bully to discuss their behaviour. It is considered important that the contact officers are approachable, rather than strangers whom the complainants may not trust.