IN BRIEF Fewer than 10 per cent of nurses believe changes made to the NHS since the beginning of the recession have been beneficial. A survey conducted by recruitment company Randstad Care of 2,000 UK staff, which examined attitudes to change in the workplace, revealed nurses are some of the least positive occupational groups in the UK when it comes to the effect of change in their sector. An independent global body should be established to contain the spread of antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics, say experts. Writing in the journal Nature, professor Mark Woolhouse from the University of Edinburgh and professor Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said a global response on the scale of efforts to combat climate change is needed. They warn resistance to antibiotics is spreading at an alarming rate and simple infections will become deadly diseases without drugs to treat them. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will draw up guidance on safe nurse staffing levels in A&E departments in England. NICE was asked to produce guidance by the Department of Health and has begun a consultation about what it should include, which closes on June 17. Go to: tinyurl.com/nzg4yzz Helene Donnelly, the nurse who helped expose care failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, will be taking part in a live question and answer session on the Care Quality Commission’s website. She will be joined by the CQC’s national patient safety adviser James Titcombe. It is expected Ms Donnelly will draw on the work she is doing on staff raising concerns. To take part in the session on June 3 between noon and 1pm,go to www.cqc.org.uk/node/1165 Children in Scotland are among the least physically active in the world, according to a study in 15 countries by charity Active Healthy Kids Canada. It rated children on factors including overall physical activity and participation in organised sport. Mozambique and New Zealand topped the activity table, England was rated sixth, while Scotland came last. NHS Scotland has announced a Masterchef-style competition as part of a £1.75 million drive to improve nutrition in hospitals. The good food challenge will invite health boards to devise nutritionally balanced meals using local ingredients, and with a Scottish theme. The winning menu will be introduced in hospitals across the country. Tackling smoking, drinking and poor diet could help reduce the risk of people developing dementia in later life, according to a group of health experts. Around 60 health organisations and leading clinicians – including the British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer’s Society and Public Health England – joined forces to call for a national focus on brain health, including raising public awareness on how to reduce dementia risks. 10 may 28 :: vol 28 no 39 :: 2014

MAJOR STUDY INTO SCHWARTZ ROUNDS Nurse academics will carry out a major study looking at the impact of monthly meetings where staff share their concerns about care that is lacking in compassion. The National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU) at King’s College London will carry out a three-year evaluation of Schwartz Center Rounds, which were developed in the United States. These are staff meetings held once a month to discuss cases and reflect on how they were managed. In his report into care failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, Robert Francis championed the benefits of Schwartz rounds on compassionate care. The Department of Health announced a £650,000 grant last year to expand the use of Schwartz rounds in the NHS. A total of 60 organisations have adopted them. NNRU director Jill Maben, who will lead the study, said: ‘Schwartz rounds appear to provide an important space for staff to detail the highs and lows of their work and gain support and insight from colleagues.’

Carter: ‘Worrying discrepancy between executives and staff’ Almost three quarters of NHS nurses responding to a survey said concerns they might raise about how their organisations are run would not be dealt with properly by their employer, according to healthcare think tank the King’s Fund. In contrast, more than 90 per cent of executive directors surveyed said concerns would be dealt with appropriately. The survey findings revealed 84 per cent of executive directors felt their organisation had become more transparent – with just 31 per cent of nurses agreeing with them. King’s Fund director of leadership development Nicola Hartley said: ‘The disconnect between the views of executive directors and other staff, especially nurses and doctors, is cause for concern.’ RCN general secretary Peter Carter said: ‘There is a worrying discrepancy between the upbeat views of NHS executives and the far less positive perceptions of senior nurses, who are anxious about their organisation’s working culture and are not confident that concerns will be taken seriously.’ Go to tinyurl.com/ne5c8co

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