Trusts have been given a lot of advice on the various steps that they can take to try and look after the mental wellbeing of their staff. They need to address issues which include fatigue, because nurses are now struggling to deal with the crises that has been brought about as the result of Covid-19. It’s important to know that experiencing an outbreak can be unsettling to say the least, so it is vital that people understand this.

The Guidance

Those who work with a nurse agency or even those who are members of a nursing recruitment agency should really know that the guidance has been developed with the input of various trade unions. They are stressing how important it is to try and protect the health of the people and that the wellbeing of the staff needs to be looked at as well. This is critical if the NHS organisations are going to be able to respond to the outbreak to the best of their ability. The pressure on the NHS is going to carry on and now it is becoming even more important that the right strategies are in place. Staff need to be looked after because if they aren’t then they can’t hope to look after other people.

Concerns

There are concerns about the sheer lack of personal protection for nurses and organisations have stated that they need to review this. They need to have a clear and direct process in place so that staff can easily raise their concerns. Staff need to know that they are going to be kept safe and they also need to know that they are going to be given the help they need on a day to day basis.

The RCN Northern Ireland have launched a conservative ballot. The general idea is to try and ask members to see if they agree to the proposed framework agreement regarding pay parity and to also find out if this can be done with the NHS England. The RCN have appointed Civica Election Services to see if they can dispatch all of the ballot papers and to also see if they can hand out the associated consultation documents as well. This is going to be done for members who are in Northern Ireland, but it is only going to include those who are actually eligible to take part. They are going to be distributed via email but if you do not have a valid email address then you can take part by post.

Any member of a nursing recruitment agency, or anyone for that matter, who does not actually receive a ballot paper over the next days can easily order a replacement. Those who work in a nurse agency or those who are seeking nursing jobs should know that the ballot is going to consult members on pay parity and the proposals that are going to be made in regards to safe staffing. The Department of Health are now developing a pay calculator. When this is used, members will be able to check their own pay journey as it changes.

The RCN have also produced a consultation document among with other trade unions. These are available through RCN members. There is also going to be a series of workplace consultation events as well. This is going to give those who are active members of the community the chance to ask questions about the proposals as well as helping them to understand the gravity of the situation. Of course, it was never easy to take action like this but as some may know, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Those who work as part of a nurse agency or even in a nursing recruitment agency should know that the RCN have reiterated calls for an urgent investigation. This was for the upcoming budget which would build the nursing workforce. Nursing degree applications are currently below what is required for effective care and safe staffing. There has been a small increase since last year but the number of people who are actually applying for a nursing degree still stands at 25% lower than it was in the year 2016. Last year, students were able to receive the bursary but there are 43,000 nursing vacancies in England right now.

Dame Donna Kinnair, who is the RCN Chief Executive has come out to say that today, there is a general increase and that this is positive, but decisive action is still needed. Urgency is also required because people need to rise to the scale of the challenge and they also need to be able to really focus on the future and what it has to offer. Nurses are being put off at the fact that they are going to have to pay tuition fees and they are also concerned about the idea of having a lifetime of student debt as well. The RCN have welcomed the promise that has been made by the government. This comes in the form of a £5,000 grant and it is designed to help students with their starting studies. The grant can go towards living costs and this is great, but many have called for all nursing students to be given a higher level of support on top of this. If action was taken, then this would really help people to be given the opportunity to pursue a career in nursing.

Members who are in Guernsey are going to vote on whether or not they are going to take industrial action. The ballot papers actually reached the island this week. The ballot is going to run until the 28th of February and the members are being asked to vote on whether or not they are willing to take some degree of action, whether it’s strike action or anything else similar. They are doing this to try and secure pay parity amongst other public sector workers. It’s the second time in the history of the RCN that a ballot like this has happened. If you work in a nursing recruitment agency or even in a nurse agency, then this is almost certainly going to affect you.

It’s important to know that Guernsey is an independent country. The pay in the healthcare sector is actually negotiated locally. Of course, it’s important to know that the campaign is used to secure pay parity amongst other public sector workers and that this became the case in 2017. It has continued in 2019 as part of the pay round. Two offers have been rejected by the members so far and the matter was also referred for mediation as well. This then generated a third offer. This was again, rejected because there was not a clear timetable in which to resolve the disparity between the nurses and the other people who are employed by the state.

In response to a dispute, the South East board started the industrial action process. This happened when they asked the RCN Council to see if they could be given approval to have a full-industrial action ballot. After the mediation failed, the matter was then put forward for an industrial tribunal. The tribunal would only rule the pay rise for 2019 but it would not resolve the issue regarding parity.

Discussions are being held about the safety of nursing staff and also their patients. It’s going to be discussed whether the RCN should really be lobbying every government across the UK to see if they can find a solution to corridor care. Delegates are also going to debate some of the implications and even the opportunities for NHS staff after the introduction of things like the mental health act. This is going to include first-aiders who work in companies and even how patients and staff who are affected by things like abortion clinics can be supported. This is really going to help those who work as part of a nurse agency or even a nursing recruitment agency.

A number of important issues regarding the RCN are also going to be discussed. Some of the issues that are going to be discussed include whether or not the College will need to establish a country board, and the impact on staffing and effective care overall. The RCN also want to have their role debated. BJ Waltho who is the chair of the RCN congress has stated that as ever, it’s important that members are able to deal with the various issues that they face through their work and that they feel strongly about this. They are looking forward to hearing voices from every side as a result of the debates in Liverpool and they are also trying to continue to ensure that the views of everyone involved are actually being heard. The congress is going to take place in June and everyone is doing their part to try and make sure that enough support is given to those who need it the most. This includes some of the unheard members of the community.

It doesn’t matter which political party gets through because the next government do need to announce some kind of funding package for the budget. This will help to attract way more students and it would also help those who want to try and pursue nursing degrees as well. The RCN party leaders are trying to stress the urgency of what’s happening right now, and they have a five-week window to apply for any courses that start next September. This is especially interesting for those who work in a nursing recruitment agency or even nurse agency representatives.

Figures have shown that last week, applications for those who want to study nursing have dropped by well over 25%. This is ever since the bursary that was designed to cover tuition fees and living costs dropped. There are 43,500 vacant posts right now in the NHS and the staffing crisis cannot be resolved in any way unless the decline in numbers is reversed.

In England, the total amount of government investment needs to be around £1 billion. Pledges to try and increase the number of registered nurses need to attract more nurses immediately as this is the only way that they are ever going to begin their education.

It doesn’t matter which government is going to be leading the next few years and it doesn’t matter what happens next either because decisive action needs to be taken because if it isn’t then nobody is going to have a fighting chance of ending the nursing shortage. The letter was sent to all of the parties who were running but that being said, now the Conservatives are in power, it’s unknown whether anything will be truly done about the current situation.

Tireless campaigns have been conducted by the RCN Wales and the various members that they have. In 2016, it was understood that Wales had become the very first country in the whole of Europe to pass a nursing law that would protect those who work in the healthcare industry. This was implemented across all adult wards in various NHS hospitals. Since then, everyone has tried to encourage the Welsh government to see if they can extend the care that they provide to all of their customers.

The Safe Staffing Progress Report was launched last month, and the Welsh government also announced that they had plans to try and extend the legislation as well. They want to do this so that it includes paediatric inpatient services and even more sectors. This will be welcome news for those who work in a nursing recruitment agency or even in a nurse agency.

Helen Whyley, who is the RCN director in Wales has also come out to say that it is encouraging to see that the Welsh government has shown a remarkable commitment to try and ensure that nursing staff levels are based on evidence and that more is done to give people support when they need it. Children at the end of the day are a very vulnerable group and they do require specialist care. They also need to be given support from trained paediatric nurses as well. The government in Wales are doing everything they can to make sure that this is the case and they are also working closely with the right people as well

The more that can be done, the better, but some are disappointed that the care is not being stretched far enough right now and that not everyone is benefitting.

RCN members who work in HSC services in Ireland have started to go on even more industrial action. They are pushing for pay parity for nursing staff across the UK. They are also asking for better staffing levels as well. of course, they are working to their contract of employment which means finishing and starting on time and also starting breaks. They are also stating that they are not going to be performing any non-nursing related duties as well. Today’s action has really gone ahead after pay discussions happened to take place between health trade unions and the Department of Health as well. A pay offer was on the table but it happened to be rejected as it fell short of the requirements that have been set by the members.

The Director of the RCN, Pat Cullen has come out to say that those who work with a nurse agency or even a nursing recruitment agency expect pay parity across England and even Wales too. They are also asking for even more concrete measures to be put in place as they try to address the staffing crisis that is happening in Northern Ireland.

Even though the Secretary of State in Northern Ireland has come out with a statement to try and intervene, it’s safe to say that health officials are not capable of grasping the severity of the situation and that they are also not doing everything they can to try and resolve it. Nurses do not need to listen to the same excuses about budgets and they do not need to work endless hours for very little pay either. All in all, more needs to be done because if it isn’t then this could grow the problem even more in the future.

There is currently a charge of over £400 which is payable for all migrants who come from non-EU countries. It doesn’t matter whether they access any NHS service or not because they need to pay it for themselves and then again for any dependents. Nursing staff who come from overseas and who are employed in the UK actually pay for the NHS via income tax and also through National Insurance payments.

A nurse who has two kids from a country that is not in the EU is taking up a post in the UK and starting at Band 5. This means that she would need to work a total of 116 hours just to pay the amount that they are going to be charged under the terms as they stand. This would pose as a problem for those who are part of a nursing recruitment agency or a nurse agency.

The Conservative Party are going to increase this amount to £625. They are also going to extend it to anyone who comes from the EU as well. If this was to happen then the same nurse would then have to work until February, or for a total of 183 hours before they can even begin to see any improvement in salary.

Donna Kinnair, who is the RCN Chief Executive has described the surcharge as being unjust and that all of the hard-working nurses who come from overseas are going to be treat this way until something is done about it. She also went on to say that healthcare services in the UK are stretched right now and that they are beyond breaking point. They can’t afford any deterrents to anyone who is abroad and that they also need to work hard to fill the posts that are not currently even being looked at.

The Wales staffing act needs to be extended to every setting where the NHS provides nursing care. National action needs to be taken in Wales because if it isn’t then staff may become more overwhelmed than they actually are. So many people are campaigning to make sure that the staff who work so hard are looked after but this isn’t going to happen unless the nurses who are under pressure right now are provided with some relief. If you work in a nursing recruitment agency, then you will understand that staff are not being retained as much as they once were and that this is causing problems as so many people are being overworked. If you work in a nurse agency, then you will soon see that the same situation is happening there too.

RCN Wales

The comments above have been made by RCN Wales. They have launched a brand-new report that is giving a lot of detail on the progress that has been made by various health boards. The RCN have stated that overall, the nurse staffing levels have changed the NHS for the better. There has been a significant level of investment and this is also increasing the amount of nursing staff who work on wards. In addition to this, nursing leadership has also been strengthened. This is being discussed at a board level and it is absolutely amazing to see how far they have come so far.

This is one of the many reasons why the RCN have challenged the government in Wales to try and encourage them to work with them. They want to develop a retention strategy that offers flexible working hours as well as better access to professional development. They want to do this as part of their programme in healthcare.