NEWS
New senior nurses’ group will offer advice to NMC council on proposals and strategy Chief executive Jackie Smith has a The Nursing and Midwifery Council legal background, while NMC chair (NMC) has set up a new front line Mark Addison has previously held senior nurses’ group to advise the senior positions in the civil service. regulator on future plans. The group will be asked to The NMC senior registrants advise the nursing regulator on strategic advisory group is made up whether its proposals and initiatives of more than 20 nurses from across are fit for purpose, and will help it to the UK, including directors of nursing meet the regulator’s core function of and academics. protecting the public. The group met for the first time last week where they considered the NMC’s draft code of IT WILL PROVIDE A REGULAR conduct, which is open to OPPORTUNITY FOR THE NMC TO consultation until August 11. Meetings will take place ENGAGE WITH SENIOR NURSES every three months. The NMC said of the It will also be asked to identify group: ‘It will provide a regular any potential obstacles to new opportunity for the NMC to engage NMC initiatives and offer advice with senior registrants and share on how to overcome these barriers. insights and information about Group members will update strategic developments and other colleagues in their own fields about advice to the NMC’s executive.’ the work of the NMC and advise the At present, only half of the NMC’s regulator on how to best communicate 12-strong council includes members with the wider register. from a nursing background.
STAFF TO HAVE GREATER SAY WITH ‘MUTUAL’ MODEL
Ten NHS providers will be selected to test ways of working that are similar to the John Lewis ‘mutual’ model where staff effectively own the organisation and have a greater say in running it. The Department of Health is writing to all NHS organisations seeking ‘expressions of interest’ for the trial and will provide £1 million to be shared between the ten participants. The trial will run from this summer to spring next year. Care and support minister Norman Lamb is spearheading the project having been inspired by a King’s Fund health think tank report that concluded ‘mutualisation’ could cut both staff absenteeism and turnover rates and improve patient care. But Unison head of health Christina McAnea warned that mutualisation could be a shortcut to NHS privatisation. There should be ‘rigorous and open testing’ of the pilot sites to ensure staff and patients benefit from the changes, she added.
Budget pressures may lead to diluted skill mix NHS trusts trying to boost nurse numbers could resort to employing staff on lower bands to save money, a workforce expert has warned. New figures by healthcare think tank the King’s Fund revealed that nursing numbers are at a five-year high, with 314,802 full-time equivalent nurses, midwives and health visitors currently working in England. This is up from 307,749 in September 2009. The report also illustrated the pressure on NHS finances, with a quarter of trust finance directors surveyed saying they expect to overspend their budgets this year. Queen Margaret University Edinburgh workforce expert James Buchan said that staff salaries tended to be one of the first places trusts looked when trying to make savings. ‘Recent experience suggests that when trusts
come under growing financial pressure they look for savings from the paybill,’ he told Nursing Standard. ‘But this time around, they cannot deny the link between staffing and patient safety. ‘It is likely the end result will be that some trusts will attempt to maintain overall staffing numbers, but will reduce staffing costs by diluting the skill mix.’
Shortages
The number of full-time equivalent nurses has risen by 8,777 between August last year and March 2014. But a Health Education England survey, published in May, revealed that more than 80 per cent of trusts in England have a shortage of nurses, with nearly half forced to look overseas to boost numbers. The supply and demand survey of 104 trusts found a shortage of 12,500
full-time equivalent nurses. Nine organisations had in excess of 100 vacancies. The survey also showed that 45 per cent of trusts had looked to countries such as Spain and Portugal to boost nurse numbers. RCN England director Tom Sandford said the increase in the nursing workforce will help to redress shortages in the profession in recent years, but added that numbers need to be boosted further still. ‘More registered nurses will be needed to cope with ever-increasing demand,’ he added. ‘The King’s Fund report paints a worrying picture for the future of the NHS, and all political parties need to give us clarity about how they plan to fund the health service.’ To read the King’s Fund report go to: tinyurl.com/n4hqzd5
10 july 23 :: vol 28 noRCNi.com 47 :: 2014by ${individualUser.displayName} on Jul 20, 2016. For personal use only. No NURSING STANDARD Downloaded from other uses without permission. Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
New senior nurses’ group will offer advice to NMC council on proposals and strategy Chief executive Jackie Smith has a The Nursing and Midwifery Council legal background, while NMC chair (NMC) has set up a new front line Mark Addison has previously held senior nurses’ group to advise the senior positions in the civil service. regulator on future plans. The group will be asked to The NMC senior registrants advise the nursing regulator on strategic advisory group is made up whether its proposals and initiatives of more than 20 nurses from across are fit for purpose, and will help it to the UK, including directors of nursing meet the regulator’s core function of and academics. protecting the public. The group met for the first time last week where they considered the NMC’s draft code of IT WILL PROVIDE A REGULAR conduct, which is open to OPPORTUNITY FOR THE NMC TO consultation until August 11. Meetings will take place ENGAGE WITH SENIOR NURSES every three months. The NMC said of the It will also be asked to identify group: ‘It will provide a regular any potential obstacles to new opportunity for the NMC to engage NMC initiatives and offer advice with senior registrants and share on how to overcome these barriers. insights and information about Group members will update strategic developments and other colleagues in their own fields about advice to the NMC’s executive.’ the work of the NMC and advise the At present, only half of the NMC’s regulator on how to best communicate 12-strong council includes members with the wider register. from a nursing background.
STAFF TO HAVE GREATER SAY WITH ‘MUTUAL’ MODEL
Ten NHS providers will be selected to test ways of working that are similar to the John Lewis ‘mutual’ model where staff effectively own the organisation and have a greater say in running it. The Department of Health is writing to all NHS organisations seeking ‘expressions of interest’ for the trial and will provide £1 million to be shared between the ten participants. The trial will run from this summer to spring next year. Care and support minister Norman Lamb is spearheading the project having been inspired by a King’s Fund health think tank report that concluded ‘mutualisation’ could cut both staff absenteeism and turnover rates and improve patient care. But Unison head of health Christina McAnea warned that mutualisation could be a shortcut to NHS privatisation. There should be ‘rigorous and open testing’ of the pilot sites to ensure staff and patients benefit from the changes, she added.
Budget pressures may lead to diluted skill mix NHS trusts trying to boost nurse numbers could resort to employing staff on lower bands to save money, a workforce expert has warned. New figures by healthcare think tank the King’s Fund revealed that nursing numbers are at a five-year high, with 314,802 full-time equivalent nurses, midwives and health visitors currently working in England. This is up from 307,749 in September 2009. The report also illustrated the pressure on NHS finances, with a quarter of trust finance directors surveyed saying they expect to overspend their budgets this year. Queen Margaret University Edinburgh workforce expert James Buchan said that staff salaries tended to be one of the first places trusts looked when trying to make savings. ‘Recent experience suggests that when trusts
come under growing financial pressure they look for savings from the paybill,’ he told Nursing Standard. ‘But this time around, they cannot deny the link between staffing and patient safety. ‘It is likely the end result will be that some trusts will attempt to maintain overall staffing numbers, but will reduce staffing costs by diluting the skill mix.’
Shortages
The number of full-time equivalent nurses has risen by 8,777 between August last year and March 2014. But a Health Education England survey, published in May, revealed that more than 80 per cent of trusts in England have a shortage of nurses, with nearly half forced to look overseas to boost numbers. The supply and demand survey of 104 trusts found a shortage of 12,500
full-time equivalent nurses. Nine organisations had in excess of 100 vacancies. The survey also showed that 45 per cent of trusts had looked to countries such as Spain and Portugal to boost nurse numbers. RCN England director Tom Sandford said the increase in the nursing workforce will help to redress shortages in the profession in recent years, but added that numbers need to be boosted further still. ‘More registered nurses will be needed to cope with ever-increasing demand,’ he added. ‘The King’s Fund report paints a worrying picture for the future of the NHS, and all political parties need to give us clarity about how they plan to fund the health service.’ To read the King’s Fund report go to: tinyurl.com/n4hqzd5
10 july 23 :: vol 28 noRCNi.com 47 :: 2014by ${individualUser.displayName} on Jul 20, 2016. For personal use only. No NURSING STANDARD Downloaded from other uses without permission. Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
