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.