If you work with a nursing recruitment agency or if you are currently seeking care jobs so you can work with carers then you have come to the right place. As a lot of nurse agency workers will tell you, there have been a new set of national guidelines put into place to try and push care homes around Scotland to provide the right level of healthcare for those who have a learning disability. It is also suited to those who have dementia as well. The new guidance, called My New Home has said that they intend to help anyone who works in home care to get the right kind of support while also ensuring that they do everything they can to help those who have learning disabilities.

When you look at HIS, you will soon see that those who have any kind of learning disability are more likely to go on to develop dementia. Not only this, but they are also likely to develop it at a much younger age. 13% of those who are between 60 and 65, and who have a learning disability, will develop age-related dementia. Studies have shown that 30% of those who have Down’s Syndrome are also more likely to experience dementia. This number stands at 30%. Of course, when you increase the age to 60 you will soon see that this rises to 50%. With the latest guidance, it looks like more is going to be done to ensure that people are given the kind of support they need, to function in society as well as ensuring that they are not left out because of their extra needs. This movement is very positive to say the least so it’s going to be exciting to see how things develop from here on, out.

The Prime Minister has confirmed to those who work care jobs, or those who work as carers will feel the impact from the new pay offer. Those who have come through a nurse agency or those who have come through a nursing recruitment agency will also be able to reap the benefits too. Sunak has come out to say that the pay increase for staff who work at the NHS is very strong and he did this through his first appearance. He has also said that the Conservatives are going to do everything they can to support the nurses who are very hard working and that he appreciates everything that they do. Of course, the party has come under a bit of scrutiny has he has come out to say that he knows that it is only those who are super rich who can afford to pay more in taxes. That being said, he chose to announce a new wave of cuts. Some say that it would be much better if the Prime Minister chose to bring in more wealth taxes so that only the richest in society felt the hit. He came out to say that he truly does support hardworking nurses and that is why he has brought in the nursing bursary. He has also done what he can to give more training while introducing a very strong pay increase. He then chose to add that the government have had to approach the very difficult situation ahead and that he is trying to be as fair and as compassionate as possible. Only time will tell what is going to happen next though and it is entirely possible that things are going to change in the future.

If you live in Wales and work with any kind of nursing recruitment agency or if you are trying to find a role through a nurse agency right now because you are seeking care jobs then you should know that RCN Wales are now waiting to have a talk over ministers about fair pay. There are hopes that this is going to affect carers in a positive way. If you look at nurses then you will soon see that they have been protesting over a lot of matters and that they are also trying to mark a national day of action too. At the end of the day, nurses across the UK know that if they do not strike or threaten to take action then there is no guarantee that anything will change and this could lead to some very severe consequences. That is why a lot of nursing leaders who work in Wales have chosen to appeal to the health minister so that they can take some degree of responsibility over nurse pay. It is also their aim to try and protect NHS services as much as possible. They are doing this as part of a strike ballot as the profession is going into the final week.

Of course, if you look at Helen Whyley who is the main director of RCN, you will soon see that she has taken it upon herself to write a letter to the health minister. She has contacted Eluned Morgan to see if she is going to try and reconsider the general responsibilities that she has when it comes to the nursing workforce in general. The RCN believe that the strike in Wales is fast but there is no reason why it cannot be effective.

Unison have chosen to suspend their strike ballot for nurses in Scotland. They are now going to work with their members so that they can consult on a brand-new pay deal that is going to be offered to staff all across the country. Of course, the move has followed the fresh offer that has been made by the Scottish Government. The flat rate offer has been made after numerous negotiations from Unison, along with other health unions. According to the government, the nurses who are registered are going to get an 8% pay rise and those who are on the lowest-paid roles are going to get a pay increase of 11%. Of course, if you are yet to work in the nursing industry because you are going through a nurse agency, or a nurse recruitment agency then you should know that when you do begin a role like this, that you will be able to take on the higher rate of pay. This also applies to carers who are looking for care jobs.

The Union have said that they intend to ask members if they are going to accept the pay offer as this is a consultative ballot. This is going to launch next week. Wilma Brown who is the chair of the committee has said that after meeting, the Unison organisation have agreed to suspend the strike ballot as this gives them the chance to try and consult NHS members over the pay offer to all of the NHS staff. As with previous offers, Ms Brown has come out to say that she thinks it is only fair if the NHS members choose whether or not they should accept the offer, hence why this movement is happening right now.

If you currently do a lot of work through a nurse agency or if you are seeking a job through a reputable nursing recruitment agency then you may be interested to know that Unison are now actually opening a strike ballot over pay for carers and those who are seeking care jobs. Nurses have to make sure that they are using this as an opportunity so that they can fight for change and ultimately force the government to take action on the vote. The organisation believe that now is the chance for them to have a voice and for them to do something that they genuinely feel is positive.

She described this as being a big crunch point for anyone who works in the nursing profession. Sara Gorton has stressed that now is in fact the time for nurses to have their own say as they need to try and drive positive change as much as possible. Of course, more had to be done to try and persuade the government to take action but at the end of the day, it looks like people had to resort to striking so they could get their point heard. Right now, there are 400,000 NHS staff who are all across the UK and they are going to be balloted by Unison in the upcoming weeks. There are other unions who are now taking action as well. You have the RCN, which is the Royal College of Nursing and you also have the RCM as well, or the Royal College of Midwives. They have tried to take action on things such as the pay that they are earning for the hours that they are putting in. Only time will tell if there is any positive outcome from this, but so far, things are looking up.

Studies have shown that around one-third of health workers feel overwhelmed at work and that this is happening at least once per week. A large number of workers have said that they feel burnt out and that they are even considering a job change too. One-fifth of them are even considering leaving the care sector, according to a new survey. The survey has been carried out by Florence and this is a tech platform that helps to provide a lot of social care workers with the access they need to new shifts. They have worked with a lot of care workers so far but at the end of the day, the struggle is real. If you work as part of the nurse agency in your local area or if you are seeking work through a nursing recruitment agency, then you will know what a stressful time this is. Of course, if you are working with carers and if you are seeking care job s then the same concept applies.

The survey has highlighted a lot of fears and it has also shown that health and social workers are no longer getting access to the shifts that they need. Social care workers need to be supported as well. Lack of support when it comes to healthcare workers in general seems to be resulting in a mass burnout and this is the last thing that anybody needs. Of course, the healthcare sector is under a lot of stress at the end of the day but by the looks of things it looks like more has to be done to make sure that people are not missing out on crucial care when they just don’t have to. Who knows what the future holds, but right now, something has to be done.

It would seem that there have been a lot of staff shortages and that now community health services are in a particularly dire situation. Those who work in a nurse agency, in a nursing recruitment agency or even those who are seeking care jobs are particularly at risk of missing out on critical life-changing treatments. Of course, carers are also at risk, and this is not good to say the least.

The Pandemic

It would seem that the pandemic has really emphasised the amount of staff shortages that are happening and it would also seem that community staff have not been able to keep pace with the increase in demand either. This has left quite a few areas in a very dire situation, if you take a look at the report. Siobhan Melia who is the chair of the network has said that the waiting list when it comes to community services has to be a wake-up call and that people need to start taking the backlog of care more seriously than they are. These kinds of services really are not subject to the kind of scrutiny when you look at the waiting times in hospitals right now but at the end of the day, if no action is taken then it would seem that the size of the waiting list is only going to get bigger.
This is not good to say the least as it means that even more pressure is being put on NHS staff. Only time will tell what the future holds but at the end of the day, more has to be done to make sure that people are not missing out on the valuable care that they need. If this is not done, then there will be dire consequences.

RCN members in Scotland have chosen to reject the NHS pay deal. A lot of them have said that they are now backing the strike action and that the results are now showing that the industrial action could take place later on this year. If you work in an established nursing recruitment agency or if you’re seeking work through a nurse agency then you’ll know how frustrating it can be when the government do not offer pay deals that are good enough, but if people don’t stand out then this will put carers and even those who work in care jobs at a huge disadvantage.

The turnout for this actually went beyond 50% and this is the minimum required for the strike to go ahead and become legal. Members who are in Scotland are now being given the chance to vote in a statutory ballot and this is going to take place via post. This is required by the law if nursing staff want to be able to join the picket lines. The ballot was not indicative of any members and their general feelings to the pay offer, but it did happen to meet the various criteria that was required for the strike to become lawful. Anyone who is working with the NHS in Scotland are now going to be joining those in Wales and England. They are going to be doing what they can to vote and anyone who is eligible to vote should certainly do so. Nursing staff are not going to stop until they can get the fair treatment they are seeking, and this is only fair when you look at the hours that they put in to help those around them to heal and to take care of themselves.

Nurses who have long Covid are now being pushed to take ill health retirement. A campaign for Covid is now trying to raise concerns about the amount of nursing staff who have the condition, and they are also being asked to take IHR by their employees. In a lot of instances, this is happening even though there have not been any reasonable advances or regulations put into place. This is a complete betrayal at the end of the day and a lot of people think that it is also somewhat immoral. At the end of the day, it looks like a lot of the employers and the managers are choosing to push their staff into taking ill health retirement and this isn’t right at all. Under the ill health retirement, staff are given the green light if they want to take out their pension before they reach the age of 55. They can do this due to a medical disability, illness, sickness or anything else. Of course, eligibility for this is entirely dependent on a lot of factors. You have to make sure that you have an NHS pension and have been doing so for two years. You have to apply before you reach retirement age, and you also have to make sure that you have enough evidence to show that you are ill. After this point you cannot go on to seek care jobs, work as carers, go through a nursing recruitment agency or even sign up with a nurse agency. Although rules like this can be tough, it is important to make sure that everyone is given the support that they need and that those who need the help the most are getting it.

Those who have Covid are finally getting the help that they deserve.

A poll has shown that people support those who work in care jobs, or even as part of a nurse agency when it comes to taking action. If you are going through a nursing recruitment agency or if you are seeking carers support right now then this is something that you need to try and be aware of if possible. Nurses have shown that they need to get a substantial pay rise or they will not be able to do the work that they do, reliably.  Market research has been carried out and it has found that up to 42% of people who responded are actually quite likely or very likely to support nurses who do wish to take some kind of industrial action regarding their current level of pay. The figure has risen quite a lot to 50% since but the RCN believes that this is because of the below-inflation pay rise. The government have since awarded a 2-3% pay rise for the nurses who put in the work but the RCN do not believe that this is enough. The poll has shown that four out of five people, or 85% of people, support the pay rise for nurses and that two thirds of them are in favour of nurses getting a pay rise that is 5% or higher. The RCN have warned that staff in the UK cannot continue to sit around for the new announcement and that this is currently three months beyond the start of the financial year for 2022. The union has renewed all of their demands and they are now calling for the pay award to go ahead way before the government has their summer recess which is very interesting to say the least. Who knows what the future holds but right now, nurses need to be shown more support.