Letters
Send your views by email to [email protected], the letters editor @RogerEvansE1, post on the Nursing Standard Facebook page or visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk
Please keep letters to a maximum of 200 words, and include your full name and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited
Please show your support by signing my petition for fair pay in the NHS I have been a midwife for six years, caring for hundreds of expectant and new mothers. Because I love what I do and am proud and privileged to work as a midwife, I went on strike last week. I joined the industrial action for fair pay in response to health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s rejection earlier this year of the recommended 1 per cent pay increase for NHS staff. If we are not recognised for our worth, midwives and other healthcare staff will leave the NHS in droves. That is why I went on strike and why I have started an online petition for fair pay at Change.org Like many other staff in the NHS, we midwives work under huge pressures every day and night of the week. The birth rate has seen a staggering rise in recent years, yet there has been no corresponding increase in the number of midwives. We can no longer find the time to take time in lieu for the days we work beyond our shifts, leading to hours of unpaid overtime. It is the same across much of the NHS. We get in early and go home late. We do 12-hour shifts, sometimes without a break. We go out in the middle of the night when we might already have worked all day. The workload is relentless, but we still care passionately about the women and babies in our care. If you want to show your support to midwives like me, please sign my petition (tinyurl.com/om78mf4). Natalie Carter, by email
INCENTIVES FOR GPs TO DIAGNOSE DEMENTIA GAVE WRONG MESSAGE Catharine Jenkins (Letters October 29) spoke out against the government’s plans to pay GPs £55 for every diagnosis of dementia they make.
Ms Jenkins, senior nurse lecturer at Birmingham City University, made the point that it is unfair for GPs to receive extra funding when their work cannot be reliably carried out alone and depends on high quality nursing care. She was not alone in criticising the proposals. The scheme was widely criticised by doctors, many of whom believe that rewarding GPs for making diagnoses could harm the patient-doctor relationship. Martin McShane, NHS England national clinical director for people with long-term conditions, defended the proposals (Letters November 26), saying these incentives ‘are paid to GP practices – not individuals – and are unlikely to amount to more than a few hundred pounds a year’. Common sense has now prevailed and NHS England has announced that there are no plans to extend the scheme beyond March. But diagnosis is only part of the picture.
If the government has funds to pump into the care of people with dementia, the money will be better spent on home care and support, 24/7 care and end of life care. Incentives are important for GPs, but we need to be sparing in the ways they are used and mindful of how they are perceived by the general public. Helen Evans, by email
DOES THE NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL NEED FOUR LONDON BASES? Why does the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have such high overheads (News November 26)? Could it be because, in addition to its headquarters on Portland Place in London’s West End – for which it pays a peppercorn rent – it has two other offices in central London and one in east London, as well as addresses in Cardiff and Edinburgh. Everyone knows central London is the most expensive place in the UK. Does the NMC really need its
34 december :: volRCNi.com 29 no 14 by :: 2014 STANDARD Downloaded3 from ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 25, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
headquarters and three other offices to be in the capital? The NMC could relocate north. It could then peg its costs and not need to increase the registration fees for nurses. The north of England would be convenient for people from England, Wales and Scotland to attend hearings. It would also save an enormous amount of money on premium London hotels for case witnesses and lawyers. The NMC needs to be seen to be spending our registration fees as efficiently as it can. As it stands, it clearly does not. Gwyn Morritt, South Yorkshire
A GREAT DEAL OF GOOD WORK GOES UNRECOGNISED IN SOCIAL CARE The Care Quality Commission (CQC), government, commissioners and providers have work to do in improving the care we offer older and vulnerable adults. But there is a great deal of excellent care provided all year round by caring and compassionate people that goes unrecognised and unrewarded. Instead of relentlessly aiming its fire at social care providers, which are going through their toughest ever period, the CQC should be pressing the government to put more money into social care through a fairer apportioning of NHS funding. If people are told often enough that planes crash, they stop flying. If you tell them there is salmonella in eggs, they stop eating eggs. If organisations such as the CQC keep saying social care is poor – neglecting to mention that most of it is good – people will stop using social care services, and then we will be in a very sorry mess. Mike Padgham, chair, Independent Care Group, York and North Yorkshire, Scarborough
GOOD HYDRATION IS AS IMPORTANT FOR US AS IT IS FOR OUR PATIENTS I support your Eat Well, Nurse Well campaign to improve the health of nurses, midwives
and healthcare assistants (tinyurl.com/q9dmwg4). It is good to see the campaign being backed by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens and England’s top public health nurse Viv Bennett (News November 19). I am also pleased that one of the five points of the Healthy Helpings charter is to ensure that vending machines are stocked with water instead of soft drinks. Many nurses, especially those working on acute hospital wards, spend a great deal of time each day encouraging their patients to take plenty of fluids and keep well hydrated. Many of those same nurses do not maintain an adequate level of hydration for themselves, particularly on long, busy shifts. We must look after our colleagues and ourselves, as well as our patients. It is important to use every opportunity to have a drink, particularly when we are busy and rushed off our feet. Part of our responsibility for making sure we are in a good position to look after those in our care involves looking after our own health and wellbeing. Donato Tallo, by email
TWEETS OF THE WEEK Still wondering why teaching kindness has become a growth industry in the #NHS. What happened to medical and nurse training? And your Mum? @NHSwhistleblowr
Horrific stories about nurses in hardship because of austerity measures and pay freezes from RCN member support services – shocking! @smyth_janice
I was overweight in school, and hated it. I lost the weight to enter nursing – I wanted to practise what I preach #NScomment @GGByrneSTN
Regardless of why they aren’t being discharged from hospital, they are still humans, not bedblockers. Hate that saying @MerrellJames
What’s the point of being an NHS centre of excellence if you don’t even say hello to your patients or ask if they are ok? #hellomynameis @SusieThoms
NIGHTINGALE MARCH 1975 SET TO CELEBRATE 40TH ANNIVERSARY I am organising the Nightingale School March 1975 set’s 40th anniversary reunion. This will take place on Saturday May 16, at a time and venue to be decided. We would love to see as many of you as possible. Please contact me at [email protected] for further information. Sara (Gilly) Gilbart, by email
REUNIONS Are you planning a reunion or trying to trace former colleagues? Email [email protected] with the details and we will post them at www.nursing-standard.co.uk
‘Would be good to have more one to one advice from nurses’ #Diabetes @patientopinion
Lastly, thankful for my fellow nursing students who motivate me and push me to do my best! We may argue, but I know you’ll always have my back @Nursingstress @RNStudentLife
Follow Nursing Standard @NScomment and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm
NURSING :: voluses 29 no 14 :: permission. 2014 35 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 25, 2015. For personal december use only. No3other without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Send your views by email to [email protected], the letters editor @RogerEvansE1, post on the Nursing Standard Facebook page or visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk
Please keep letters to a maximum of 200 words, and include your full name and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited
Please show your support by signing my petition for fair pay in the NHS I have been a midwife for six years, caring for hundreds of expectant and new mothers. Because I love what I do and am proud and privileged to work as a midwife, I went on strike last week. I joined the industrial action for fair pay in response to health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s rejection earlier this year of the recommended 1 per cent pay increase for NHS staff. If we are not recognised for our worth, midwives and other healthcare staff will leave the NHS in droves. That is why I went on strike and why I have started an online petition for fair pay at Change.org Like many other staff in the NHS, we midwives work under huge pressures every day and night of the week. The birth rate has seen a staggering rise in recent years, yet there has been no corresponding increase in the number of midwives. We can no longer find the time to take time in lieu for the days we work beyond our shifts, leading to hours of unpaid overtime. It is the same across much of the NHS. We get in early and go home late. We do 12-hour shifts, sometimes without a break. We go out in the middle of the night when we might already have worked all day. The workload is relentless, but we still care passionately about the women and babies in our care. If you want to show your support to midwives like me, please sign my petition (tinyurl.com/om78mf4). Natalie Carter, by email
INCENTIVES FOR GPs TO DIAGNOSE DEMENTIA GAVE WRONG MESSAGE Catharine Jenkins (Letters October 29) spoke out against the government’s plans to pay GPs £55 for every diagnosis of dementia they make.
Ms Jenkins, senior nurse lecturer at Birmingham City University, made the point that it is unfair for GPs to receive extra funding when their work cannot be reliably carried out alone and depends on high quality nursing care. She was not alone in criticising the proposals. The scheme was widely criticised by doctors, many of whom believe that rewarding GPs for making diagnoses could harm the patient-doctor relationship. Martin McShane, NHS England national clinical director for people with long-term conditions, defended the proposals (Letters November 26), saying these incentives ‘are paid to GP practices – not individuals – and are unlikely to amount to more than a few hundred pounds a year’. Common sense has now prevailed and NHS England has announced that there are no plans to extend the scheme beyond March. But diagnosis is only part of the picture.
If the government has funds to pump into the care of people with dementia, the money will be better spent on home care and support, 24/7 care and end of life care. Incentives are important for GPs, but we need to be sparing in the ways they are used and mindful of how they are perceived by the general public. Helen Evans, by email
DOES THE NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL NEED FOUR LONDON BASES? Why does the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have such high overheads (News November 26)? Could it be because, in addition to its headquarters on Portland Place in London’s West End – for which it pays a peppercorn rent – it has two other offices in central London and one in east London, as well as addresses in Cardiff and Edinburgh. Everyone knows central London is the most expensive place in the UK. Does the NMC really need its
34 december :: volRCNi.com 29 no 14 by :: 2014 STANDARD Downloaded3 from ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 25, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
headquarters and three other offices to be in the capital? The NMC could relocate north. It could then peg its costs and not need to increase the registration fees for nurses. The north of England would be convenient for people from England, Wales and Scotland to attend hearings. It would also save an enormous amount of money on premium London hotels for case witnesses and lawyers. The NMC needs to be seen to be spending our registration fees as efficiently as it can. As it stands, it clearly does not. Gwyn Morritt, South Yorkshire
A GREAT DEAL OF GOOD WORK GOES UNRECOGNISED IN SOCIAL CARE The Care Quality Commission (CQC), government, commissioners and providers have work to do in improving the care we offer older and vulnerable adults. But there is a great deal of excellent care provided all year round by caring and compassionate people that goes unrecognised and unrewarded. Instead of relentlessly aiming its fire at social care providers, which are going through their toughest ever period, the CQC should be pressing the government to put more money into social care through a fairer apportioning of NHS funding. If people are told often enough that planes crash, they stop flying. If you tell them there is salmonella in eggs, they stop eating eggs. If organisations such as the CQC keep saying social care is poor – neglecting to mention that most of it is good – people will stop using social care services, and then we will be in a very sorry mess. Mike Padgham, chair, Independent Care Group, York and North Yorkshire, Scarborough
GOOD HYDRATION IS AS IMPORTANT FOR US AS IT IS FOR OUR PATIENTS I support your Eat Well, Nurse Well campaign to improve the health of nurses, midwives
and healthcare assistants (tinyurl.com/q9dmwg4). It is good to see the campaign being backed by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens and England’s top public health nurse Viv Bennett (News November 19). I am also pleased that one of the five points of the Healthy Helpings charter is to ensure that vending machines are stocked with water instead of soft drinks. Many nurses, especially those working on acute hospital wards, spend a great deal of time each day encouraging their patients to take plenty of fluids and keep well hydrated. Many of those same nurses do not maintain an adequate level of hydration for themselves, particularly on long, busy shifts. We must look after our colleagues and ourselves, as well as our patients. It is important to use every opportunity to have a drink, particularly when we are busy and rushed off our feet. Part of our responsibility for making sure we are in a good position to look after those in our care involves looking after our own health and wellbeing. Donato Tallo, by email
TWEETS OF THE WEEK Still wondering why teaching kindness has become a growth industry in the #NHS. What happened to medical and nurse training? And your Mum? @NHSwhistleblowr
Horrific stories about nurses in hardship because of austerity measures and pay freezes from RCN member support services – shocking! @smyth_janice
I was overweight in school, and hated it. I lost the weight to enter nursing – I wanted to practise what I preach #NScomment @GGByrneSTN
Regardless of why they aren’t being discharged from hospital, they are still humans, not bedblockers. Hate that saying @MerrellJames
What’s the point of being an NHS centre of excellence if you don’t even say hello to your patients or ask if they are ok? #hellomynameis @SusieThoms
NIGHTINGALE MARCH 1975 SET TO CELEBRATE 40TH ANNIVERSARY I am organising the Nightingale School March 1975 set’s 40th anniversary reunion. This will take place on Saturday May 16, at a time and venue to be decided. We would love to see as many of you as possible. Please contact me at [email protected] for further information. Sara (Gilly) Gilbart, by email
REUNIONS Are you planning a reunion or trying to trace former colleagues? Email [email protected] with the details and we will post them at www.nursing-standard.co.uk
‘Would be good to have more one to one advice from nurses’ #Diabetes @patientopinion
Lastly, thankful for my fellow nursing students who motivate me and push me to do my best! We may argue, but I know you’ll always have my back @Nursingstress @RNStudentLife
Follow Nursing Standard @NScomment and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm
NURSING :: voluses 29 no 14 :: permission. 2014 35 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 25, 2015. For personal december use only. No3other without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
