approaches to care planning and nurse allocation, including task allocation, team nursing and patient allocation. Having trained in a system where patient allocation was the norm, I found it difficult to see why others found it so difficult to accept its advantages. But they did and, in my experience, many still do. There are many reasons why it is difficult to implement and maintain, even more so in this era of rapid patient turnover and 12-hour shifts. However, I still believe that in principle it is what we should aim for. Jennifer M Hunt, by email
FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS, EVERYONE I HAVE CARED FOR HAD A NAMED NURSE Robert Francis QC has recommended that each patient should be allocated a named nurse for each shift to take responsibility for co-ordinating that person’s care needs (News November 27 and Letters December 11). As a practice development nurse and former nursing assistant, I believe this aspect of the Francis report is harking back to the old days. I have been a registered nurse for 30 years and, over this time, all the patients I have looked after have been given a named nurse.
EXPERIENCE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR PROPER TRAINING AND EDUCATION Former RCN director of education Tom Bolger offers timely support for the idea of reviving enrolled nurses (Letters December 18). English National Board chief executive Eve Bendall, who with Elizabeth Raybould had co-written a history of the development of enrolled nurses in the UK, bravely opposed the discontinuation of the enrolled nurse programmes some years ago. An experienced healthcare assistant (HCA) told me recently that she can do everything a registered nurse can do ‘except give injections and administer drugs’. She is also considered the local expert in taking blood and is the person of choice to teach the procedure to nursing students. She proudly spoke of her long experience. But without adequate professional education, experience alone is insufficient. Statutory training and education of HCAs is long overdue. It may be a sensible way of resurrecting the enrolled nurse and integrating them into the NHS nursing teams. James P Smith OBE FRCN, by email
A FASCINATING REVELATION OF NURSING PRACTICE IN CHINA I very much enjoyed the ‘East meets West’ feature on nursing in China (December 11). I had no idea a shortage of nurses has prompted the government to launch a ten-year training plan to increase China’s 2.5 million nursing workforce to 4.5 million, or that nurses in China are encouraged to work abroad to acquire specialist knowledge. It is also fascinating to read of how traditional Chinese and western medicine are integrated in hospitals in Beijing. Patients undergoing chemotherapy enjoy the complementary therapy of soaking their feet in herbal remedies while listening to traditional Chinese music.
USING THE TERM ‘SECOND LEVEL’ IMPLIES SECOND-BEST NURSES Tom Bolger (Letters December 18) continues the debate on the issue and need for enrolled nurses. He is right that there is a need for the re-introduction of another type of regulated nurse. But please let’s not call them ‘second level’, as this suggests they would be second-best. This was an assumption that affected enrolled nurses and damaged their status as healthcare professionals. With different responsibilities, enrolled nurses would complement registered nurses. Their learning would need to be structured in such a way that they could proceed to qualify as registered nurses – not sent down a blind alley, as happened to so many enrolled nurses.
Emily Joanna Hill, by email
Jenny Janes, by email
Lyn Matthews, by email
NURSING STANDARD
TWEETS OF THE WEEK If registered nurses extend their role, then HCAs can too. As long as there is appropriate training and support #NursingJC @rj_quick
HCAs then believe they are trained nurses. This is already happening in care homes and standards are poor @annodoremouse
Perhaps it’s time HCAs had degree-level training? @rj_quick
There is desperate need for regulation of delegated tasks. Professional bodies need to look at doing more? @safernhs
Nursing is dynamic profession that needs to evolve and develop with health care. Once a nurse always a nurse whether NQ or advanced @Toriwoo
Think there should be more routes for ACP roles that are not based on technical skills @TildaMc
Some nurses taking over junior dr roles – blurring of boundaries – compassion has to be core for all @barbarajack14
Maybe we need to think about WHAT nursing is becoming and look at developing new models/preceptorship skills to meet demand @gemmarosa
Follow Nursing Standard @NScomment and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm january 8 :: vol 28 no 19 :: 2014 35
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FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS, EVERYONE I HAVE CARED FOR HAD A NAMED NURSE Robert Francis QC has recommended that each patient should be allocated a named nurse for each shift to take responsibility for co-ordinating that person’s care needs (News November 27 and Letters December 11). As a practice development nurse and former nursing assistant, I believe this aspect of the Francis report is harking back to the old days. I have been a registered nurse for 30 years and, over this time, all the patients I have looked after have been given a named nurse.
EXPERIENCE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR PROPER TRAINING AND EDUCATION Former RCN director of education Tom Bolger offers timely support for the idea of reviving enrolled nurses (Letters December 18). English National Board chief executive Eve Bendall, who with Elizabeth Raybould had co-written a history of the development of enrolled nurses in the UK, bravely opposed the discontinuation of the enrolled nurse programmes some years ago. An experienced healthcare assistant (HCA) told me recently that she can do everything a registered nurse can do ‘except give injections and administer drugs’. She is also considered the local expert in taking blood and is the person of choice to teach the procedure to nursing students. She proudly spoke of her long experience. But without adequate professional education, experience alone is insufficient. Statutory training and education of HCAs is long overdue. It may be a sensible way of resurrecting the enrolled nurse and integrating them into the NHS nursing teams. James P Smith OBE FRCN, by email
A FASCINATING REVELATION OF NURSING PRACTICE IN CHINA I very much enjoyed the ‘East meets West’ feature on nursing in China (December 11). I had no idea a shortage of nurses has prompted the government to launch a ten-year training plan to increase China’s 2.5 million nursing workforce to 4.5 million, or that nurses in China are encouraged to work abroad to acquire specialist knowledge. It is also fascinating to read of how traditional Chinese and western medicine are integrated in hospitals in Beijing. Patients undergoing chemotherapy enjoy the complementary therapy of soaking their feet in herbal remedies while listening to traditional Chinese music.
USING THE TERM ‘SECOND LEVEL’ IMPLIES SECOND-BEST NURSES Tom Bolger (Letters December 18) continues the debate on the issue and need for enrolled nurses. He is right that there is a need for the re-introduction of another type of regulated nurse. But please let’s not call them ‘second level’, as this suggests they would be second-best. This was an assumption that affected enrolled nurses and damaged their status as healthcare professionals. With different responsibilities, enrolled nurses would complement registered nurses. Their learning would need to be structured in such a way that they could proceed to qualify as registered nurses – not sent down a blind alley, as happened to so many enrolled nurses.
Emily Joanna Hill, by email
Jenny Janes, by email
Lyn Matthews, by email
NURSING STANDARD
TWEETS OF THE WEEK If registered nurses extend their role, then HCAs can too. As long as there is appropriate training and support #NursingJC @rj_quick
HCAs then believe they are trained nurses. This is already happening in care homes and standards are poor @annodoremouse
Perhaps it’s time HCAs had degree-level training? @rj_quick
There is desperate need for regulation of delegated tasks. Professional bodies need to look at doing more? @safernhs
Nursing is dynamic profession that needs to evolve and develop with health care. Once a nurse always a nurse whether NQ or advanced @Toriwoo
Think there should be more routes for ACP roles that are not based on technical skills @TildaMc
Some nurses taking over junior dr roles – blurring of boundaries – compassion has to be core for all @barbarajack14
Maybe we need to think about WHAT nursing is becoming and look at developing new models/preceptorship skills to meet demand @gemmarosa
Follow Nursing Standard @NScomment and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm january 8 :: vol 28 no 19 :: 2014 35
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 28, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
