The government are set to try and renege a pledge that has been made. The pledge is for £5m and it is going to be put towards training nurses and even midwives too. This is going to be the case for developing countries across the world. The announcement was brought to light by Nursing Times and the funds were promised all the way back in 2018. Some believe that it was the government’s way of trying to support the campaign for Nursing Now and the groundwork for 180 projects has been done. The problem is that they are now pulling the plug on the funding as UK aid is being cut. This is all being done in response to Covid-19. The £5m that has been allocated is being replaced by the FCDO. This is being done throughout the UK and it’s also part of the UKPHS programme too.

The UKPHS programme is being managed by the THET and they have the aim to try and help build way more resilient healthcare programs. They believe that by creating reciprocal partnerships between other institutions across the world. They are doing this with middle-income countries. If you work as part of a nurse agency or even a nursing recruitment agency then this is a huge blow.

Of course, in a letter, the FCDO have stated that the decision is in fact a direct result of the pandemic and that they could not have predicted that this would happen. They have caused a lot of foreign aid to be cut and they are also concerned about the national income too.

Earlier in the month, Wendy Morton confirmed that with the closure of the programme, it would seem that they are not going to be able to meet the commitment and that this is going to really stunt the development of doctors and nurses. Of course, only time will tell what the future holds.

A brand-new clinical nurse specialist has been appointed to try and support any asbestos-related cancer patients in their recovery. Lynne Hunter has chosen to join the cancer charity and they are going to be based in the Western General Hospital. She has stated that she has always had a strong interest in helping others who work in nursing and they have also described it as being a fantastic way to provide support to those who truly need it. The UK has the highest amount of deaths that relate to mesothelioma and the asbestos exposure every year affects the lining of the lungs of those who work in construction. In fact, 2,700 people are diagnosed every single year.

In the new role, Ms Hunter will try and focus on caring for those who have experienced this cancer and she is also going to play a huge role at every step of the treatment journey too. She is going to try and help people to have the smoothest journey and she cares deeply about the people who she is going to be caring for. She is going to be providing a lot of specialist groups and she is also going to be giving some quality advice to support groups as well. She is trying to make the biggest difference to the community and she is also going to be working with mesothelioma-specific treatments too. She is a qualified nurse as from 2012 and she has signed up for work through a nurse agency before as well. This support group is going to support those who may be under pressure with work from a nursing recruitment agency as well, as it is going to try and support those who may be falling through the cracks with their treatment.

Nurses all across the UK are going to have access to a brand-new platform. This is going to be a listening service and it is going to help provide a safe place for staff. It gives them the chance to offload with someone who is able to understand them as well as someone who can give them a listening ear. The charity is called a Nurse Lifeline and it is led by a group of nurses and midwives too. The lifeline is going to launch and it is going to be a 12-month pilot originally. It’s going to follow fellow nurses and it’s also going to help them if they are having a hard time. It’s important to remember that it is also going to help those who work in a nurse agency or even those who are part of a nursing recruitment agency.

Everyone is able to recognise the value in having some kind of space to offload with someone who is able to have such a positive impact on someone’s wellbeing. Of course, almost 50 volunteers have all teamed up to try and take phone calls and this is going to be done between 7pm and 11pm. The calls are going to take place between Monday and Friday as well. The service is open to everyone including support workers as well as healthcare workers. It’s even open to students and friends and family. This is believed to be the very first of its kind too. The idea of the charity essentially stemmed from the fact that the nursing industry is under so much pressure right now and everyone wants to do something about it. Some believe that this is the best way to ensure that this is the one thing they can do to make things easier.

A hospital trust have actually been banned from admitting any new patients who may be under the age of 18. This is only the case if they have been diagnosed with mental health problems. They have a lot of concerns right now that span from patient safety to improper staff training. The Care Quality Commission have chosen to place urgent conditions on the Telford and Shrewsbury hospital after an inspection was done. Children and young people have been exposed to the risk of inappropriate restraint as well as harm. This has downgraded the rating of the service for children, and it also stops young people from being able to get the secure support that they need.

The inspection was done on the 24th of February and this has prompted a lot of concern about how the children are being looked after. They have had to look into the quality of the assessment, and they have also looked into the young people who have attended the hospital as well. This is especially the case with those who have strong mental health needs or even learning disabilities. During the inspection, it would seem that the CQC have spoken with a huge range of staff. This happens to include 14 nurses as well as a mental health matron. They want to make sure that anyone who comes to the location who might work in a nurse agency or even those who come from a nursing recruitment agency are given the training they need to look after the children beforehand, because right now it would seem that there are not enough people to look after those who have any kind of learning disability. Concerningly, it’s been found that children and even young people who have mental illnesses did not end up getting the risk assessment done when they arrived.

People have been urging the Prime Minister to see if he is going to be providing nurses, along with other NHS staff, with the hope that they are going to address workplace shortages. If you work in a nurse agency or if you work as part of a nursing recruitment agency, then you will know more than anyone how important it is to ensure that funding is given to help support the sector. Of course, NHS bosses and unions have all joined forces in an attempt to lobby the government. They are doing this because they want them to try and commit to a full workforce plan. They are hoping that this is going to help try and stop the current undersupply of nurses in the healthcare sector in general.

A joint letter has been sent out to Boris Johnson and this included the Royal College of Nursing. They have warned that billions and billions of pounds would be required by the end of his reign in parliament. If this is not given then long-standing issues would certainly be present. This is especially the case when you look at the staff and their education in general. Figures show that there is currently a high level of stress as well as a lot of burnout too. This is all related to the coronavirus pandemic. Things are going to worsen even more if the staff shortages are not dealt with as soon as possible. There are some who are deeply concerned that the NHS is not going to survive if these shortages are not dealt with, and it just goes to show how concerning it is that more is not being done by the people who have the ability to make a positive change.

Nurses in England are not going to be receiving a bonus for their efforts that were made during the coronavirus pandemic. Colleagues in Scotland, Wales and even Northern Ireland have all been given bonuses in the past and the government have in fact confirmed this. The department of social care and health have responded to a petition and this has been signed by thousands of people so far. They want a “thank you” bonus which is going to stand at around £500. If you work in a nurse agency or if you work in a nursing recruitment agency, then this is going to really benefit you but only if you work in a certain part of the UK. This movement means that England are the only country in the UK who are not actually giving their nurses the bonus.

The Royal College of Nurses has stated that this move from the government is not good to say the least, and that they do not actually value the hardworking nursing staff at all. Especially when you look at the amount of backlash from the proposals. NHS staff who work in England should receive a 1% pay rise in 2021 but at the end of the day, things are not looking bright. The NHS Payment Review Body are now trying to examine the evidence that is present from all the key stakeholders. They are doing this before they make a recommendation. The government are now trying to put forward their pay offer, which is going to be in summer. Of course, in their response, they have been able to sign over 14,000 people but they do not want to cause issues. Only time will tell what the future holds for the staff in England.

Nurse directors who work in Lanarkshire are working hard to try and double the amount of nurses that they have. They are doing this as part of their own government programme. They are doing this because they want to try and modernise the role as much as possible. They believe that if they are able to boost the workforce as well as the capacity then they will be able to meet the rising demand of children. Of course, if you work as part of a nurse agency or if you want to seek a job from a nursing recruitment agency then you may benefit from this, as you will be able to experience way more job roles as a result. Of course, by boosting the workforce they are also able to generate way more support for those who need it the most. Only time will tell if this is going to be the case or not, so who knows.

By boosting the capacity and the workforce, they believe that they are going to be able to increase the demands and that they can also help those who have a mental health condition. They believe that they can help to prevent things like adverse childhood events, and they also think that they can provide support to those who may be part of a social partnership. Some believe that they need to do what they can to boost recruitment as this is going to be a huge movement to say the least. The movement does actually come from a government paper which comes from the chief governing officer. The document that has been released has stated that the school nursing role should ultimately try and concentrate on 10 priority pathways. This happened to include emotional health as well as issues such as child protection.

The prime minister has to make sure that he stands by the profession that managed to save his life when he was forced to go to the hospital with Covid-19. They are also asking him to consider his proposal of a 1% pay rise for any nurses. Some believe that this is just not enough and that the work that they have put in deserves more recognition. The RCN have appealed to him to try and make sure that he is aware of how much help and support nurses have given him over time. If you work in a nurse agency or if you work as part of a nursing recruitment agency, you will know how important it is to make sure that things keep on running smoothly for the NHS. If things do not run smoothly then lives will be lost, and this will really cause people to experience a lower standard of healthcare overall.

Earlier this month, a proposal for a 1% pay rise was met with a lot of backlash from the supporting unions. They branded the pay rise as nothing short of an insult and they believed that the evidence that was in review was not really taking into consideration every aspect of what the NHS does. It is the government that are going to be making the final decision. Dame Donna is going to state in the speech that she is due to make, that the government are aware of how misjudged the current decision is. They know that offering a 1% pay rise is nothing short of shocking yet they are not doing anything about it. The NHS nurses stood guard by his bedside to ensure that he was not neglected during his time in hospital, and it’s safe to say that more needs to be done to ensure that he gives recognition where it is due.

There are two weeks to go before the new financial year starts and the government have revealed that they are going to be launching a funding settlement of around £3.32 billion. This is around a £45 million rise when compared to the year before. At the end of the day, visiting has been cut to the bone when you look at the years that have followed public health grants. The grant is usually paid to councils and this is going to be ringfenced. The aim is to try and target public health services and this would include sexual health nursing as well as school nursing. Critics have stated that the last-minute nature that comes with the announcement doesn’t give people much time to plan ahead and it would seem that the 1% rise has largely been attacked. People are saying that it is inefficient when you look at the amount of pressure that has been put on healthcare as the result of the pandemic. If you work as part of a nurse agency or if you are part of a nursing recruitment agency, then you will know what a blow this is.

The Health Foundation are actually an independent charity and they have said that the allocation for the coming years are actually 24% less when you compare them to the budget that they had just a few years ago. It would seem that public allocations for healthcare services are dropping more than people realise and it’s so important that people do what they can to try and give others the help they need when it comes to overstretched nursing services. This is even more the case when you look at the impact that the pandemic has had on nurses in general.

The CQC have stated that they want to try and take a new national approach when it comes to end of life care. They have stated that there is a worrying variation when it comes to the experiences that people have and this has been exacerbated as the result of the pandemic. The regulator has published the final report from the review, and they have asked the government to see if they can conduct their own response to the concerns about DNACRP orders. The decision to implement this kind of order has to be made by a senior clinician. This has to be done after a very careful assessment of the situation and it also has to be done with the family’s consent. The CQC review has been focused on those who are older, as well as those who may have learning disabilities. It's been uncovered that there’s an inconsistent approach and that there could even be some breaches of basic human rights.

The CQC have tried to support DNACPR orders, but with a blanket approach for groups of patients. This can include those who have learning disabilities, and when you break all of this down, you will see that it relates to discrimination. Out of the 2000 adult care services that happened to respond, 199 felt as though they had been subjected to decisions regarding DNACPR, and that they felt as though it was a blanket approach. In one area, it would seem that the GP had sent out letters to care homes about putting blanket decisions in place regarding those who have learning disabilities. Of course, this needs to change, and if you work in a nurse agency or a nursing recruitment agency then you will know that this won’t come easily.