There appears to be a lot of confusion regarding the status of nurses who happen to be working on both sides of the border. This is especially the case between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. If you work in an Irish nurse agency or if you are seeking work at an Irish nursing recruitment agency then you may have run into some issues already.

Northern Ireland shares some services with the Republic. This happens to include the cardiology services as well as some cancer services. You also have some clinicians who choose to work across both sides of the border. The Telegraph has reported that they could be arrested if they do not have dual registration by the end of the month. This is even the case if you are a doctor, or an esteemed surgeon. The BBC website has reported that 100 nurses and medics have to make sure that they are registered in both countries. If they aren’t, then they may not be allowed to operate and this can result in legal consequences.

Nursing regulators who work in the UK have told the Nursing Times that not a whole not has changed. Nurses who work in both nations have always had to have some kind of dual registration, but of course, Brexit is going to bring some new factors into this. The EU transition period has given a lot of flexibility to workers but at the same time, this isn’t really available anymore. It’s said that well over 70 nurses are going to have to get a level of dual-registration by the end of March if they want to be able to work south of the Irish border. This is very bad news to anyone who does not intend to get registered.

Right now, the government have to make a lot of efforts to try and reach as many nursing staff as they can. Surveys have shown that the majority of people who haven’t received or even been offered the vaccine are actually employed outside of the NHS. Of course, when you look at the 24,000 responses, you will soon see that the recent surveys that have been done by the RCN show that 85% of the respondents had at least one dose of the vaccine and that 7% of them have had both doses. This is a huge achievement for the program and by the looks of things, it would seem that nursing staff are really keeping up with their end by working hard and ensuring that people are comfortable getting it. Those who work as part of a nurse agency or even as part of a nursing recruitment agency really are doing everything they can to ensure that they are helping others to feel assured. The main issue is that 15% of respondents had not received the vaccine and the results do show that out of those who have been offered it, over 70% of them happen to work in non-NHS settings. Of course, it doesn’t matter where they worked because two out of five nursing agencies and one out of four staff had not received a vaccine at all. This is when you compare it to one out of 8 hospital workers. The RCN have been providing a lot of advice and support to those who might have been having a hard time accessing the vaccine. They are going to continue monitoring the vaccine and they are also going to be giving as much help to those who need it.

There are going to be a lot of changes to the NHS in England as many are trying to tackle the bureaucracy and they are also trying to encourage health and social services to work much closer together as well. The UK government have been putting a real focus on those who work as part of a nurse agency as well as those who work in a nursing recruitment agency too. They have legislative plans for the NHS in the UK and they have been published. They have proposed that some of the changes should be reversed as more of the reforms are introduced. This is all going to be done through the Health and Social Care Act that was released in 2012. This saw the creation of the NHS England and it also meant that a lot of primary care trusts are scrapped as well.

The white paper has set out a number of changes and it is also going to discuss the NHS long-term plan as well. This is going to look at the long-term plan for the NHS and it’s going to give integrated care systems as well. This is going to create a good statutory footing and it’s also going to remove any barriers for the collaboration as well. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also going to remove any incentives for competition while reducing bureaucracy. The RCN is very clear that the nursing leadership has to be recognised and it needs to play a part in the integrated healthcare systems as well. This isn’t just because nursing is the biggest workforce, instead, it’s actually because of the skills and also the expertise that a lot of nurses bring in so that they can meet the overall holistic needs of their patients.

All frontline or social care workers can now easily book their Covid-19 vaccine. They can do this online and the system has been fully introduced to try and help out those who might not have been able to get their injections yet. The booking service allows all of those who work in a big nurse agency or even professionals who are operating in multiple nursing recruitment agency jobs to get their frontline vaccine and this is going to help them to work safely. They are allowed to be given the vaccine whether they work as part of the NHS or not. This means that all staff who might be eligible, including temporary staff and those who work in the independent sector can easily book an appointment. This is of course, for a limited time and you need to make sure that you do it before the 28th of February if possible.

You can do this via the NHS website or you can do it over the phone if you want. If you do want to do it over the phone then you should know that it is free of charge and you can do it from 7am until 11pm. You can do this 7 days a week as well. Of course, as part of the booking process, you will need to declare whether or not you are a healthcare or social worker and you will also need to bring over proof of employment. The new push is going to come from the government and the RCN have even raised concerns that the staff are in fact, slipping through the net. This is designed to stop that while also ensuring that people are really given the support that they need throughout the whole process.

Nurses really have been commended due to the enormous role that they have played in ultimately helping the UK to hit a major milestone. They have been able to distribute the Covid-19 vaccine to everyone who might be part of the top four priority groups. As well as those who are over the age of 70 and the clinically vulnerable, it would seem that frontline workers and even health and social workers are being given the chance to have their very first dose. They believe that they have never been prouder to be able to work for the NHS or to be a nurse. Even though the programme has been able to reach over 15 million people, it would seem that one fifth of staff who work in a nurse agency or even a nursing recruitment agency have not been able to take up the offer yet. There are ongoing concerns that there is a lower uptake amongst those who come from BAME backgrounds as they are concerned about their health in the profession.

An analysis from a hospital which is in Leicester found that even though 70% of white staff had been in fact vaccinated, it would seem that it was only 36.8% of black staff have had the vaccine. The take-up in the NHS is rising all the time and it would seem that right now it stands at four-fifths overall. That being said, the lower uptake is certainly going to mean that some who are part of minor ethnic groups is lower and that this is going to have a huge impact on the overall state of the workforce. Who knows what the future holds but right now it would seem that there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

Final year students are now being called upon so that they can return to their clinical placements. This is all being done in the wake of the pandemic. The Nursing and Midwifery Council have confirmed that they are going to introduce emergency education to try and support those who are nurses but this is only if they want to take it. At the end of the day, a lot of people are grateful to every student out there who is having a hard time coping with change like this. It is also designed to help those who are experiencing disruption to their study time as well, especially those who come from a nurse agency or a nursing recruitment agency.

In addition to this, it would seem that the regulator has also agreed that first-time midwifery students are going to have a focus on the academic and learning sector. They are not going to attend placement because of the mounting and insurmountable pressure that the system is under right now. All of the undergraduate and post-graduate nurses are going to carry on with their programs as planned and they are also going to have a supernumerary status as well. Andrea Sutcliffe who is the registrar for the NMC has stated that in this day and age, students are tomorrow’s nurses so it is important that they get the support they need so that they can continue their education. At the same time, they do recognise that healthcare services in the UK are under a lot of strain right now. Something needs to be done to make sure that nurses are given the help they need and more needs to be done to ensure that people can continue their education too. Who knows what else is going to happen, but at the end of the day, the nurses are unsung heroes of this time.

In the House of Commons, it would seem that Boris Johnson told other people that there has been a pay rise for those who work in the public sector and that this is above the rate of inflation. He has also said that nurses alone have had a whopping 12.8% pay rise over the last couple of years. The RCN have chosen to write to the PM and they have also requested a meeting too. They have urged the prime minister to be accurate whenever he chooses to address nursing pay. To the members who are working a very brutal shift today- it’s important to know that this kind of message is somewhat demoralising, and that the RCN do understand this. They are committed professionals at the end of the day and they have said that they want a fair pay and a good level of recognition. They do not want people clapping on their doorsteps for them.

If you work in a nurse agency or if you are seeking work in a nursing recruitment agency, then you will know how important it is for people to give those who work hard a fair wage but it would seem that right now this is not happening. The Fair Pay campaign is designed to seek out a 12.5% pay rise for those who work in the nursing sector. This is designed to help those who are covered by the Agenda for Change and it is part of a one-time year-long deal that applies to all bands. Of course, they are doing everything they can right now to make sure that people are given a fair amount of support but right now it looks like people are fighting an uphill battle and that this is going to be a hard one to win.

The RCN have responded to various concerns with their position against the much more transmissible variant of Covid-19 and they are also continuing to seek a lot of assurance that the infection and control guidance that is circulating right now is enough for the staff. They are very clear in their expectations and they know that staff need to be given a lot of personal protective gear as a precautionary measure. This is of course, pending the clarity of the transmission aspects of the new virus, which is putting huge pressure on the nurse agency and nursing recruitment agency providers in the UK.

Alongside the BMA, they also wrote to the UK government explaining that the members are concerned that the risk of infection is high and that they want some clarity on the way that it is managed in the UK. They have taken the call and they have demanded the independent review into the evidence that is used to support the NHS infection. They also want to get some guidance of the controls that are being used to limit the spread of the virus right now. Their main priority is to make sure that healthcare workers are given the help they need to stay free from the virus so that they can then make a positive change overall. We know right now that the workplace of safety has stated that goo ventilation does in fact reduce how concentrated the virus is in the air and this will in fact reduce any airborne particles that may be present. The RCN’s own Dame Donna Kinnair has stated that nursing staff need to have some urgent reassurance that they are protected from the PPE and safety measures that are in place right now. They want and they also expect to have their concerns heard and they also want proof that everything is okay for them to work.

The RCN appear to be very concerned about the wellbeing of staff and the patients too. It would seem that the intensive care units all across the UK are at very high levels right now and they are operating far beyond the capacity they have. It’s been recognised that there are not enough ICUS or critical care nurses working in the industry and they are having to reduce the nurse to patient ratio of 1:1 just so that they can help to meet the demand. Those who work in a nursing recruitment agency right now, or even those who operate a nurse agency will know this already.

The NHS England have worked to try and provide as much guidance as possible and they are also trying to give help to those who might need it during Covid-19. They have stated that staffing standards for those who are in intensive care can easily be suspended. The RCN understands that members need to try and avoid the ICU from being diluted and they also need to try and avoid any short-staffed ward areas too. They are very firm that the dilution of the nurse to patient ratio should only happen if there are very exceptional circumstances. Even though there is a lot of escalation for the regional and national care networks, it would seem that even inner regional assistances have been completely exhausted. The RCN have sought to see if they can find some kind of confirmation to see how the context right now could help those who really need it. The departments of health in the four different nations could easily provide much more guidance of how the increased work requirements are being managed. The RCN Chief Executive has stated that the safe ratio for those who are intensive care would be one to one, but as this is changed, it would seem that lives are put at risk.

Most people who get coronavirus are safe from reinfection for at least six months, latest research suggests.

The finding follows the first large scale study of how much protection is offered by previously having had COVID-19.

It comes as optimism grows over the development and deployment of effective vaccines to combat the pandemic.

However, while hailed as an important step to understanding coronavirus immunity, scientists say there is not yet enough data to make a judgement on how long it lasts beyond the six months from the initial infection and the work will continue.

The study, undertaken as part of a collaboration between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, covered a 30-week period (April - November) involving 12,180 health care workers.

The staff were tested for antibodies to the virus as a way of detecting who had been infected before.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-prior-coronavirus-infection-offers-protection-for-at-least-six-months-12137084