The pandemic has made it very difficult for the nursing profession. It has also put a very stark lens on how much we rely on nurses to heal us as well as keeping us healthy. A famous band from South Korea have come out to pay tribute to every nurse across the world. This is welcome news for those who work for a nurse agency or even those who work for a nursing recruitment agency. Kim Ki-Bum who is known as Key, his stage name, has said that he is going to perform live for the International Council for Nurses next month. His band, that is known as SHINee is a huge part of the K pop movement. This is a genre of music that started out in Korea but it is becoming more and more famous around the world. Key has also come out to say that his mother is a nurse, and that he is fully welcoming the opportunity to show how much they appreciate the profession, especially since the pandemic began. He has given a tribute to nurses all around the world and he is holding a special conference. The ICN Congress is truly the best way to celebrate nurses and all the help they have given us. It also helps to mourn anyone who might have been lost along the way. It is going to act as a platform so that people can gather and then empower the community. The ICN have stated that they have key speakers from the department and various other world leaders too.

This is very exciting to say the least and there have also been messages from other celebrities too. This happens to include Oprah Winfrey. She has said that she has been gathered with congress to inspire and even honour the nursing workforce and this is incredible to say the least.

A roaming nurse service is amongst one of the many projects that are going to receive a boost for their latest number of allocations. This stems from the original Covid-19 appeal. Of course, the appeal is going to be managed by the NHS charities and they have raised a huge amount of money so far. They managed to raise over £150 million as the result of donations from the one and only Sir Tom Moore. Cancer patients and also those who have life-limiting conditions are going to feel more alone than ever. The good news is that the charity have handed out millions in NHS projects and this is bringing more and more support to a deprived sector. If you are part of a nurse agency or if you work in a nursing recruitment agency, then you will soon find that this is really going to help the industry.

Amongst the grants that have been handed out, it would seem that a quarter of a million was given to Burton and then Derby hospitals, and this is going to help fund the roaming nurse services. The money is going to help the Treetops Hospice and this runs the service. They are going to be able to create an on-call support and it is also going to help to give palliative care to those who really need it. Of course, only time will tell how far this funding goes but the fact that it is being used to fund a roaming nurses scheme is just what the industry needs. Of course, this is going to really help the sector to give support to people who may be struggling, and it is going to strengthen the industry even more too.

More and more care providers are now being forced to end their nursing care, purely because they don’t have enough numbers. They are lacking nurses to work for them and the CQC has also warned in their report that health and social care is now waning as a result. The watchdog have stated that the vacancy rate in residential homes has fallen by over 6% and that it now stands at 10%. It has also been reported that care homes are having to cancel their registrations, purely because this is the only way that they can provide the nursing care that they have promised to residents. If you work as a nurse agency or if you work in a nursing recruitment agency, then you will know what a dire situation this is.

The report highlights the case of one of the more established nursing homes. They have contacted the CQC and they have said that they are facing care staff issues. The local authority and commissioning group have said that if they work together then they would potentially be able to help the crisis. Of course, they have also said that they are now taking every step possible to try and make sure that they find the right cover and they also want to try and make sure that they help those who need it the most. The report went on to say that the provider informed key partners that as a result of the shortages, they are going to be de-registering from the activity of the treatment for diseases. This happens to include injury or disorders. This means that the 15 people who require this kind of care would have to find new homes, or they risk not being able to live anywhere at all.

Schools and vaccination programmes are going to be launched to try and give support to those who are healthy. It’s being rolled out to try and give support to those who need it and the government have announced that this is the next step in stopping Covid in its tracks. Those that are in this age group are going to be given a single dose of the vaccine and they are going to be offered the Pfizer one if possible. Invitations are going to be sent out next week if possible. The people who are in this age group are going to be offered a single dose of the vaccine and they are also going to require parental consent. Those who work in a nurse agency or those who are part of a nursing recruitment agency are really going to reap the benefits from this because it should lessen the strain that is on the NHS right now. The CMOS have outlined the fact that the benefits of younger people having a jab far outweigh the risks and that this is going to be a great help.

Experts have been asked to provide ministers with advice after the Committee on Vaccination have stated that the benefits of vaccinating healthy kids are just too small when you look at universal vaccination overall. Of course, the consent has to be sought by healthcare professionals before the jab is given as it is being done in line with any existing vaccination programs that are in place right now. Those in this age group would be given their jab and there will be an alternative for those who are being home schooled right now. Children in a specialist mental health setting are also going to be offered alternatives.

All frontline staff and even healthcare workers, including those who are members of a nurse agency, are going to be given the booster jab. If you have come up through a nursing recruitment agency then you may also be given the vaccine, alongside adults who are over the age of 50. The government have confirmed that they have accepted the advice from the Joint Committee for Vaccination. The advisory body have said that those who are most at risk are going to be prioritised and that the next phase of the vaccination programme should continue as planned. All those who are over the age of 50 are going to be given a booster and those who are working on the frontline are going to be given it as well. Those who are living in residential care and those who have underlying health conditions are also going to be given the jab. The programme is going to be rolled out this month and although the Pfizer vaccine is preferred, it may be that other jabs need to be given. This jab is being given regardless of which jab was given originally. The recommendation was given because data from the trial indicated that this jab was tolerated well and that it gave a very strong response overall. The recommendation was done because the trial indicated that it was the best solution moving forward but if this vaccine is not possible then a half dose of the Moderna vaccine would be very much suited. The Astra Zeneca vaccine may be given but only if the above two vaccines are not suitable for any reason at all. This is the plan going forward and it would seem that the booster program is moving forward as it should be.

It’s very likely that those who work in the NHS are going to have to be vaccinated against Covid if they want to keep their jobs. Those who work in a nurse agency or those who are part of a nursing recruitment agency are going to have to take up the offer of the jab as there is a strong indication that it is going to be made the law. The comments on the controversial move are currently being consulted on and the government are now overlooking their winter plans. They believe that it’s likely that the NHS frontline staff and those who work in social care will have to be vaccinated. In the very same speech, it has been confirmed that all frontline staff are going to be offered a booster jab and that this is going to be done alongside adults who are over the age of 50. It is also going to include some of the more vulnerable groups as well.

So far, unions have been critical of the fact that there has been no recognition for the workforce shortage and that there is nobody talking about the wellbeing of staff in the wake of the last year and a half. Javid has stated that the government have a five-pillar plan when it comes to living with the virus during the more difficult winter months. He’s said that there is going to be a prime focus on vaccinations and that pharmaceutical defences are going to be a priority. The test and trace system is going to be supporting both NHS and social care and on top of this, they are going to be encouraging people as much as possible to see if they can keep any seasonal illnesses at bay. They are also going to be trying to pursue a more international approach when it comes to tackling the virus if possible.

Over 50% of nurses who work in emergency care or urgent care are now putting the stress of work above their wellbeing. This is according to researchers. An 18-month study has tracked the data from over 10,000 emergency staff members and it is showing that there is currently a mental health crisis happening amongst those who work in a nurse agency as well as those who are coming through a nursing recruitment agency. Some of the studies have shown that one of the driving factors right now would be staffing conditions.

Findings have suggested that over half of workers felt as though they had a chronic imbalance and that they were putting their work before their wellbeing. They experienced high levels of stress and they also felt as though this was impacting their performance. The people who were behind the study have found that this was often experienced higher in nurses when compared to ER physicians and even police services. The poor work and life balance negatively impacted their physical health and it also resulted in a lower level of employee wellbeing.

Across the sector, it would seem that findings showed that frontline workers were at very high levels and that most of them were distressed by either mental images or poor memories of the experiences that they have gone through. 10% of them have stated that they have had a lot of suicidal thoughts since the pandemic started and 92% of them had expressed pride in the work that they are doing. 92% of all nurses said that they would not hesitate someone who was in need, and that this is the highest number of kindness and compassion across the entire emergency sector. It’s about time that we show nurses the same level of kindness and respect by helping them to know that they are not alone.

Mental health services for children have been banned from taking on any more patients after inspectors saw many concerns regarding the staffing levels that were present. Inspections have found that those who are part of the mental health wards saw that the service was simply not good enough. They had been rated as being outstanding in the past but right now it would seem that they are not doing well enough. Inspectors are very concerned about what they saw and they are now working hard to try and improve the working conditions as much as possible. Inspectors were concerned enough by what they saw. They know that those who work in a nurse agency or those who are working in a nursing recruitment agency are struggling right now but at the end of the day this is not a good excuse. More needs to be done to try and make sure that people are being given the support that they need because if they aren’t then they are failing the people who they set out to protect. There were serious concerns at the end of the day and a lot of this comes down to the fact that the inspection was unannounced. They wanted to make sure that they took care of the people who were in their residence but at the end of the day they didn’t feel as though they could because of staffing shortages. Inspectors visited all the wards and this happened to include Longview, Larkwood and even the Polar Adolescent unit. The rating had declined because they simply did not have enough people to get the job done properly. This is unfortunate but at the end of the day it highlights the crisis that is happening right now.

Over two thirds of workers say that mental health has declined and that people have not been given the professional support that they need during this challenging time. Unison have warned that the staff shortages across the sector are having a poor impact on the wellbeing of the entire workforce and as mandatory jabs come into force, more and more people are going to be leaving. Figures that have been carried out have suggested that 68% of the care workers who operate in the industry, including those who work for a nurse agency and those who have been recruited from a nursing recruitment agency, felt as though their mental health had suffered.

When asked to talk about the work-related concerns that they have, 35% of them stated that they had a hard time sleeping and 16% said that they were simply unable to wind down after their working shift had ended. 11% said that at times, they didn’t feel as though they could cope and 13% said that they felt somewhat depressed or sad. What’s worse is that 22% of them felt as though they had severe anxiety. Among some of the issues, you had increased workload and the fear of catching coronavirus. Other people felt as though it was very difficult seeing people sick and dying on a day to day basis. Many of them had financial concerns, and this was a huge issue for a lot of people. Of course, the situation is yet to change and this is why it is so important for people to recognise what they are going through. They deserve to be paid more and there needs to be a recruitment drive for the sector, because things are only going to get worse as time goes on.

A huge majority of the nursing members in England have come out to say that the latest pay announcement is simply unacceptable and that the results from the consultation have now been revealed. It would seem that 92% of members who voted in England were against the pay award and that 94% of people felt the same way in Wales. The members expect to see action from the government and they want to see nurses paid a very fair rate. The RCN have said that the profession had held a very clear verdict and once again they are doing what they can to get the government to think about the deal that they have put out there. They do not believe that it is fair to anyone who works in private nursing, in a nursing agency or even those who are signed up with a nursing recruitment agency. In Northern Ireland, it looks like the nurses will be on course for a very small wage increase but the government have said that it would not be possible to make a formal announcement on this until October. They are going to have to do a budget review to find out where they are going to go from here. They have said that a deal has been struck in Scotland and that people are going to be eligible 4% pay uplift.

The offers came in for way less than what was campaigned for. The RCN want to see a pay rise of 12.5% and they also want to see nurses being treat more fairly as well. Of course, when you look at England, you will see that 25.4% of people who were eligible voted and that over 90% of them felt as though the deal was not acceptable at all. The remaining amount thought that it was acceptable given the circumstances.