
Chris Potter
Nursing Degree Applications are Down by 30% since the Bursary was Axed
Even though there has been a small increase on last year, it would appear that the latest figures from UCAS do show some nursing degree applications have fallen by well over 13,000. The RCN has tried to warn people that the NHS long-term plan really doesn’t have a chance at succeeding if the decline in applications is not reversed. The college is working hard to try and invest £1bn a year in the education for England to try and stop the trend from continuing. The figures have been released from UCAS and they all show that the amount of studying has fallen as well. This has happened since the year 2011 and now there are 40,000 vacancies available for nurses in England. The RCN has stated that the fall in numbers jeopardises the future supply of nurses and it also puts the students at risk as well.
The RCN acting chief, who is Dame Donna Kinnair has stated that these figures really do show the scale of the workforce and the challenges that they happen to face. The failure to act now really does risk patient care for the entire generation. Applicant numbers really are showing no signs of recovery here and if you do not act then you risk the level of patient care for the entire generation. It’s safe to say that the long-term plan really does deserve to succeed but it is unable to do this unless you have the nurses to do this. The applicant numbers are showing no signs of recovering and this is because the level of student funding has been reduced. This is especially the case when you look at the homes, the funding, the schools and even the clinics too.
The figures that the number of mature students are showing is on an even bigger decline and this could mean bigger issues for those who work in a nurse agency or for those who go through a nursing recruitment agency.
Patients are Paying the Price for the Lack of Staff in the A&E Departments
The NHS Performance Summary shows that the A&E waiting times in the NHS are now at their worst level since the 4-hour target came about in the year 2004. The study showed that only 84.4% of patients were treated in the four hours and this is well below the set target they have of 95%. This is all down to the shortage of staff, and those who work in nursing recruitment or even as part of a nurse agency will understand this more than anyone. The Director of the NHS England has come out to say that if you speak with anyone who works at the coalface then they will tell you that it is actually the patients who are suffering as a result of this. They are the ones who are paying the price, and this is not fair at all. No nurse wants to leave their patient on a trolley or even in the corridor for hours on end. They also don’t want to leave them sitting around just because they have no bed to give them either, and this is a drastic situation to say the least. The NHS is chronically underfunded to say the least and nowadays social care is pushing more and more people to the accident and emergency sector. Too many others come simply because they can’t get in to see a GP in their local area.
This situation is dangerous and the figures today really do need to act as a wakeup call because the health secretary and those who work in the care system cannot continue like this. If nothing is done, then this situation could get even worse and this is the last thing that anyone needs right now.
Members are Coming Together to Share Information on a New Law
The first meeting has happened, and now the RCN campaign is making headway. They want to make it so that nurses are safe in their own working environment. The event helps to bring together RCN members, staff and other reps from each country and they also want to see the nursing staff shape the campaign as well. They want to share ideas on how the campaign is going to run and they also want to discuss which legislations are going to be delivered as well. After all, changes need to be made and they also need to be run locally as well,
The director of the RCN has come out to say by harnessing passion when it comes to creating new changes, they can then make pivotal movements that will go on to shape the future of the nursing world. They need more people to sit up and take notice. They know full-well that nursing staff levels really don’t just affect their members, and that this is going to have a huge impact on nursing care. They know that if they don’t tackle this issue now then everyone will suffer as a result, and this is the last thing that they need. They know that they cannot sit back and let their entire healthcare service deteriorate and they also know that something needs to be done about the government’s own control.
If you work as part of a nurse agency or if you are going through a nursing recruitment agency to try and secure a position, then it is well worth keeping things like this in mind so that you can go on to make the best possible decision. It’s very important that these changes are documented in the best possible way so that people can feel secure in their role.
The RCN is now welcoming the Removal of the Cap on Skilled Workers
Sajid David is the home secretary. He has some plans that will renew the minimum salary requirements of £30,000. This is going to be for migrant workers and a lot of fears have been raised regarding the impact that it is going to have on UK sectors. This includes the NHS. The starting salary for a nurse is around £23,000. The salary limit above this could actually prevent nurses from other countries from being recruited to the NHS. This would worsen the crisis that is happening right now.
The RCN Chief Executive, who is known as Dame Donna Kinnair has come out to say that if the government does decide that the threshold should be put at this for future nurses, then the pay scale must be exempt from this. The government does in fact risk shutting the door on nurses that help to keep the services running if they don’t comply with this and it could cause a ton of issues at a later date. The home secretary’s white paper does actually contain some brighter news for the world of nursing. The paper does in fact promise to streamline the whole immigration process and it will also significantly reduce the amount of time it takes for a nurse to start work.
This is great if you work in a nurse agency or even as a member of a nursing recruitment agency. Of course, immigration is a very complicated issue, but patients are more than concerned about the lack of nurses that are available to them right now. If this is not sorted out soon then this could lead to even more complicated issues, and it could even spell disaster for those who work in the industry, and even those who want to get into nursing as a career.
RCN Members are just a Few of the Professionals Who are Going to Receive Honours
Jane Cummings, who is a professor in the nursing industry has been awarded a CBE. This is going to be given to her because of the amount of experience and support she has continually given the NHS. Claire Murdoch, who is the chief executive of the NHS foundation trust has also come out to say that she has received a CBE as well. She continues to care for those who were part of the Grenfell fire. Two nurses, known as Emma Senyard and Joy Ongcachuy both work at Barts NHS Trust. This is located in London and they received OBEs. This is because of the hard work that they have continually put in to try and make sure that people during the London Bridge Attack were given the support that they needed.
Brian Dolan has also been given an OBE. He gave a talk in 2016 and he went on to inspire the campaign of End PJ Paralysis. He wanted to try and get patients moving again and he also wanted to make sure that discharge rates were improved as well. The work that he has put in is not comparable to anything else.
12 nursing professionals were also awarded MBEs. This is because of the outstanding achievements that they put in to help the community and this includes Ruth Oshikanlu. She was made a fellow RCN in the year 2017 and this is incredible to say the least. It does show that the nurses are now being given the support that they need and it also shows that they are being recognised as well. This has been a long time coming, but it is safe to say that those who work as a nurse agency or even as part of a nursing recruitment agency have made fantastic progress so far.
Ambitious Plans are Welcome- But Service Improvements are Going to Stumble
The RCN has welcomed a publication that details the long-term plan of the NHS. They have stated that they plan to share it so that they can help the leading services to gain a better understanding of what the NHS stands for. The plan is going to show the goal for the NHS over the next 10 years. They are also going to detail how they are going to spend money and even how this is going to be prioritised as well. The annual budget is going to be increased by over £20 billion and this is expected to come into place by the year 2023. This does also include a focus on the prevention and even the early detection of mental health. Community care is also going to play a huge part in this, and that is especially the case if you work as part of a nurse agency or even in a nurse recruitment agency.
They have also claimed that they are going to save half a million lives. This is going to be done via practical action on conditions that are considered to be major killers. This can include stroke and even cancer. The plans that they have for securing the staff that are required however are somewhat vague. They have pledges of another workforce implementation but the details regarding this are said to be released in the year 2019.
This does recognise to some extent the incredible strain that a lot of nurses are under. It also says that this is an unsustainable number as well. It does however suggest that there are some concerning issues for the increasing number of nurse graduates. Of course, only time will tell whether or not this is going to be an issue for the future.
The NHS is Heading for its Worst Year in Over a Decade
The NHS England is actually heading for its worst year in well over a decade. A huge number of patients are now waiting more than 2 weeks to be seen by a GP and even a consultant oncologist as well. New figures have revealed a worrying increase in patients and they are having to wait even longer to see someone. The wait for a GP urgent referral is well under target and this is worrying to say the least. Patricia Marquis, who is the director for the RCN in England has stated that improving the cancer survival rates is of core interest to them, and that in order to do this, they need to make sure that their waiting times are kept to a minimum.
She has also come out to say that the two-week wait is worrying to say the least, and that tens of thousands of people are now having to endure this. This is not acceptable by their terms, and they are more than aware that a small delay could have a very serious impact. A lot of people have said that this highlights the need to have a fully funded workforce strategy. Staffing levels are enshrined and this has been done on a legal basis. They also need to make sure that they have the right number of staff on-hand as well. This is clearly not happening if patients are having to wait over two weeks to see a doctor, and it does not align very well when you look at the long-term plan that the NHS have.
They have put this challenge to the government, which is good to know if you work in a nurse agency or even in a nursing recruitment agency.
The NHS has grown from a budget of less than £500m to £145bn in its 70 years.
The NHS is the world’s fifth-largest employer, behind the US department of defence (3.2m), Chinese People’s Liberation Army (2.3m), Walmart (2.3m), and McDonald's (1.9m).
There are 37 NHS trusts with more than 10% of their workforce from the EU. Top of the list is Royal Brompton and Harefield, and Oxford University Hospitals, with 19%.
Public satisfaction with the NHS in 2017 was 57% - quality of care, the attitude of staff, and the range of services were all praised, with concerns over long waiting times and a lack of funding.
Here Sky News breaks down the numbers and some of the stories behind them.
Trusts are Going to be Forced to Show how they Deal with Staff Concerns
Every single NHS trust in England is now going to have to file a report every single year. They have to show how they deal with any concern that is raised by a staff member. They are also going to release reports on how patient concerns are dealt with as well. This is under a new legislation. Matt Hancock has announced the chance in response to an independent health record which has been done on patient deaths at the War Memorial Hospital. 450 patients died at the hospital between the year 1987 and 2001. They were prescribed very dangerous doses of opioids.
Mr. Hancock has come out to say that this is going to echo for years to come and that nurses are going to carry on raising their concerns. They did so back in 1988 but a lot of them were either ignored or even pushed to the side. Those who work in a nursing recruitment agency or even those who own a nurse agency will know how serious this can be.
There have been a lot of changes made since Gosport and this means that staff now have the ability to try and speak up with far more confidence. On top of this, failings are being identified much sooner and they are also being dealt with much more efficiently as well. The reforms that they plan to make will provide a much higher level of transparency and it will also mean that drugs are far more strictly controlled. They are also going to do a complete investigation regarding every single hospital death as well in hopes that this has an impact on the overall death rate in various hospitals up and down the UK.
16 Nurses from the Intensive Care Unit in Arizona are All Pregnant
A group of 16 nurses who all work in the intensive care unit of the Banner Desert Medical Centre have all become pregnant at the same time. They discovered how many of them were expecting children when they all joined a Facebook group. The group is designed to give people support when they work in a hospital while pregnant. If you work in a nursing recruitment agency or even in a nurse agency then you will understand more than anyone how astonishing this is.
A lot of people have come out to say that nursing is not an easy job to do at all, and this is especially the case when you are pregnant. At the end of the day, it is so nice for people to have the help and support they need and it is also nice for them to have the respect from the management team as well. They believe that this has been a good experience to say the least and they are all due to give birth between the months of October and January. Some people believe that the absence of nurses may cause complications for the ICU and that it will have an impact on patient care as well. Other people believe that the hospital has plenty of time to prepare for their leave and that they have professionals who are willing to step in to lend a hand when required.
This being said, a lot needs to be done to try and give nurses the support they need when they are pregnant and it is fantastic to see that there are a ton of Facebook groups being setup to try and offer this to those who need it the most. What’s even better is that people are actually using them.