NEWS

INVESTMENT IS CRUCIAL TO STRENGTHEN THE PETITION TO MAKE NURSINGWORKFORCE,SAYSHEALTHMINISTER HOSPITAL PARKING More public health nurses are needed to respond to an ageing population and risk factors such as obesity and dementia, health minister Dan Poulter has said. Addressing delegates at a Public Health England conference last week, Dr Poulter said that changes in population demographics and health needs meant investment in a more robust nursing workforce was essential. He warned the country was facing challenging times ahead, and urged nurses to promote and strengthen the focus on population health.

Front line staff

Dr Poulter said: ‘I work on the front line myself and the biggest concern is not having enough staff to deliver care. We are in difficult times and have to make sure we have enough money to employ front line staff.’ His comments follow recent protests by nurses in England at the government’s refusal to award all NHS workers a 1 per cent pay rise this year. Hospitals across the country are also

seeing average nurse vacancy rates of 10 per cent and are now looking abroad to recruit because of the difficulties in hiring staff from the UK. But Dr Poulter said the annual NHS staff survey had shown that staff satisfaction at work had improved and the most important thing was to make sure there were enough front line staff to deliver quality care.

‘THE BIG CONCERN IS NOT ENOUGH STAFF TO DELIVER CARE’ – Dan Poulter

He added that nurses have received either an incremental rise or the 1 per cent cost of living increase. Dr Poulter claimed that research published last month by the RCN showing chief executives had received five-figure bonuses and huge pay rises was ‘inaccurate’. The RCN report found senior NHS managers’ pay had increased by 6.1 per cent in the past two years, while nurse pay rose by just 1.6 per cent.

FREE FOR NHS STAFF

A healthcare assistant is leading a campaign calling for ‘extortionate’ staff car parking charges to be scrapped at NHS hospitals in the UK. Abigail Smith’s petition has been signed by more than 17,000 people since it was launched at the end of June. The matter could be debated in Parliament if the petition reaches 100,000 signatures. Ms Smith, who works in Suffolk, said she has received emails from nurses across the UK, with some paying more than £8 a day to park at work. ‘Staff often start early and work late, so the NHS is already making money out of its employees. Front line staff should not have to pay for parking on top of that. ‘You would not want a nurse to rush through a patient handover just because they are worried about getting a ticket,’ she added. Go to epetitions.direct.gov.uk/ petitions/66694

ISTOCKPHOTO

Nurses should be empowered to challenge doctors who overprescribe Nurses should accompany doctors on ward rounds to advise them against overprescribing antibiotics, a leading nurse has said. Public Health England (PHE) nurse consultant Susie Singleton warned that unless urgent action is taken the world would ‘run out’ of effective treatment and return to a ‘pre-penicillin era’ where treatable infections and injuries will become fatal. Illnesses such as puerperal sepsis and scarlet fever could make a comeback and diseases such as tuberculosis and meningitis and Strep A could also become resistant to antibiotics. Speaking at a PHE conference in Birmingham, she

said: ‘Nurses make up 70 per cent of the healthcare workforce so they can make a difference across all the areas they work in. They should be leading the way in educating patients, the public and other healthcare professionals on the dangers of overusing antibiotics.’

Professional duty

‘In hospitals, nurses are the patient’s advocate,’ Ms Singleton added. ‘They should be going on ward rounds with a drug chart and challenging doctors in a non-aggressive manner. It is about empowering nurses; they are not handmaidens, they are professionals in their own right.’ She warned that there are no new

antibiotics in development, making it vital antibiotic use is reduced and infection control improved. Ms Singleton highlighted National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance that recommends delayed prescribing for sore throats and other respiratory infections. Doctors give a prescription for antibiotics for the following day and patients are advised to take the medication only if symptoms worsen. In Canada, GPs are not allowed to prescribe antibiotics without first taking a swab for analysis. Last week, prime minister David Cameron announced a review into why so few anti-microbial drugs had been introduced in recent years. The results will inform plans for encouraging the development of new antibiotics.

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Nurses should be empowered to challenge doctors who overprescribe.

Nurses should accompany doctors on ward rounds to advise them against overprescribing antibiotics, a leading nurse has said...
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