The amount of NHS staff that are off work due to Covid is still troublingly high. Nursing leaders have been warned that the growth of these absences is now slowing down in a lot of the areas. Data has been published and it shows that over 40,000 staff members were off work due to sickness and that people are self-isolating all the time. If you work with a nurse agency or if you work with a nursing recruitment agency then you may have felt as though the pressure has been on. The same concept applies to those who work as carers or even those who are seeking care jobs right now. This new set of data shows a lot of information about staff absences across many different trusts up until, and including the 9th of January. In total, over 80,000 staff members were off work and although this is a lot, it is important to know that this is a decrease on the week before. The numbers have dropped by around 2%.

When you look at the data, you will soon see that staff absences grew by thousands and that this had a devastating impact on the healthcare industry. This is a way smaller growth when compared to the week before but all in all, it has jumped by 60% in one period alone. This is a way smaller growth when compared to just one week before. Although the pandemic looks to be improving right now it would seem that the number of staff absences is decreasing. This is very good news, to say the least, and it goes to show that the healthcare system is working towards a positive direction and that this is going to have major positive consequences in the future.

A new association has been launched for any Spanish nurse who is living and working in the UK. They are now trying to seek more and more members to join. If you are working as part of a nurse agency or if you are seeking care jobs or help with careers for your carers pursuit then this will be of special interest to you. Many people who work in a nursing recruitment agency have said that the new association is ground-breaking and that it is named after the nurse who supported a lot of efforts when it came to eradicating smallpox through the simple use of vaccinations, all the way back in the 1800s.

The overall aim of the group is to try and ultimately support Spanish nurses and other healthcare workers who are now settling in the UK. They are also trying to address the decline in recruits who may be coming to the country since Brexit occurred. One of the plans for the association would be a membership programme that is going to induct any Spanish nurses who might be coming to the UK. It is going to link them to someone who is in their area already and that this is going to help with more basic things. He said that it is important to know that this is not just about nursing. It is about where to help them to find an apartment and even to help them to find good places to eat after as well. Many have highlighted the difference that this could make and they have also gone t help settle newcomers as well as saying that right now, people are not getting the kind of support they need overall from their support networks.

If you work as part of a nurse agency or if you are part of a well-known nursing recruitment agency then you will know how important it is to keep up to date on the latest news. Some of the latest news has shown that unions are calling for health staff, including carers, to be exempt from the isolation period. If you are seeking care jobs right now then this will also impact your future career. Sajid Javid has said that the isolation period is going to reduce from seven isolation days down to five. He has also said that updated measures are being debated in parliament right now and that the data all show that two out of three Covid cases are not infectious by the time the fifth day comes around.

When it comes to close care, which includes those who have compromised immune systems, you will soon see that nursing staff have to be confident that they are not the ones putting their patients at risk. From Monday, people who can achieve two negative tests on the fifth day are no longer required to isolate. They do have to wait until the end of the fifth day though, with them being able to leave isolation on day six. The isolation period was initially 10 days but it was dropped to 7 and now finally, 5 days. Mr Javid has said that he is going to expand on the reason behind the reduction, saying that anything that curbs on general freedom has to be a last resort and that the measures have to be in place for absolutely no longer than necessary. He stated that the economy and even education are just two ways that people are being damaged as the result of them having to self-isolate and this is major, to say the least.

Results have been found from a survey and they have uncovered the fact that a lot of nurses and doctors have indicated that the backlog of patients has led to a lot of premature deaths. The APM has carried out a poll, using people who have come through a nurse agency or in some instances, a nursing recruitment agency to try and understand the devastating impact on those who have an illness. This also included older people, such as carers or those who are working in care jobs. The assessment was done over two months, ranging from December to January. Those who responded were made up of various APM members, including nurse specialists as well as consultants. It also included junior doctors and speciality doctors.

The overall results showed that over 86% of people agreed that people are becoming terminally ill, needlessly, because they are either getting a late diagnosis or because they are experiencing incredible delays.
End-of-life charities, which happen to include Marie Curie have partnered up with APM to try and help them with the survey. They have called for a lot of amendments to be made and they have also asked that the Health and Care bill be debated differently so that NHS teams can provide palliative care services all across England. When you look at the combination of the steep gaps in palliative care to the fact that more and more people are being terminally ill you will soon see that major issues are happening and that it is impossible to carry on this way. More needs to be done to try and make sure that people get the support that they need and this is going to make a difference to the numbers we are seeing now.