Nursing back on WHO’s agenda Supporting the workforce was not a priority in the past but now it is, writes Frances Pickersgill

Galina Perfilieva (centre) at a health meeting in Moldova

Europe’s health ministers, gathering in Copenhagen for the World Health Organization’s Regional Committee for Europe on September 15-18, will be discussing issues such as child and women’s health and communicable diseases. Nursing and midwifery will be on the agenda for the first time in several years. For the first time in several years the agenda includes a professional briefing on nursing and midwifery, prepared by WHO programme manager for human resources for health Professor Galina Perfilieva.

WHO’s objectives

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 Countries to submit their health workforce and migration data to WHO.  Co-ordinate better information about nurse workforce planning.  Close the gap between education and projected health service needs.  Strengthen nursing and midwifery in the European region.

The briefing presents examples of good practice and recommends actions to capitalise on the expertise of nurses and midwives in the European region. For Professor Perfilieva, the health workforce is a central element in strengthening health services, particularly in southern Europe and the former USSR countries. ‘In the past, supporting the workforce was not a priority. But now, WHO sees that it cannot fulfil its vision of health

Staffing levels Nurses in Wales are being asked for their views on draft legislation that could see the country become the first part of the UK to enshrine safe staffing levels in law. The bill would impose a legal duty on NHS organisations to maintain minimum nurse-to-patient ratios on adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals. Ward managers and senior midwives should be supernumerary and staffing plans must factor in time for induction, professional development, mentoring and supervision and leave. Closing date for consultation is September 12. tinyurl.com/Wales-staffing-levels Bursaries Pancreatic Cancer UK is making ten bursaries available for nurses interested in attending the 12th Annual

for all unless all can access a trained health workforce,’ she says. A doctor by profession, Professor Perfilieva has had a longstanding interest in nursing. She originally came to WHO as the European regional adviser for health workforce. WHO published a report on the health workforce in 2006. ‘Its key message was, and still is, that there are major shortages of health professionals in 57 of

Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary national study day but who are unable to be reimbursed from their employers for travel and accommodation. The event itself is free to attend, but the bursaries of £150 each funded by the Hospital Saturday Fund are intended to allow a good cross-section of attendees to attend. The charity will also be running the Nurses’ Appreciation Award in recognition of the commitment of nurses in this field. Applications for the bursaries and the award should be made by September 26. www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk New qualification The Alzheimer’s Society and Royal Society for Public Health have joined forces to create a new qualification to help people understand more about dementia. The Level 2 award in Understanding Dementia is

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CAREERS

WHO’s member states, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. ‘We estimated the shortfall at 2.4 million,’ Professor Perfilieva explains. ‘We found huge geographical imbalances in the distribution of the health workforce, with some countries recruiting nurses from already impoverished countries. ‘The resulting WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel calls on countries to plan for their workforce needs by investing in education that is aligned to workforce needs over the long term,’ she adds. WHO also provides technical support for countries to develop their own workforce

Such countries need to invest in nursing education and regulatory systems, the bedrocks of high quality nursing.’ Professor Perfilieva also believes WHO is in a great position to share good practice. ‘We are at the centre of a huge network of nurses. I am now working on a compendium of nursing practice case studies from around Europe, such as advanced roles, nurse-led services and nurses getting involved in technological developments such as telehealth.’

Consultation

The Copenhagen meeting will kick start a consultation for WHO member states on actions to strengthen the contribution of

MOLDOVAN NURSES CANNOT WORK IN EU MEMBER STATES; IT’S A BRAIN WASTE strategies and policies. ‘I can request secondments to help these countries,’ says Professor Perfilieva. ‘For example, at the moment, the Finnish government has seconded a senior adviser to help us. One project is helping Moldova to address its workforce challenges. Moldova is not part of the EU but it exports workers to southern European countries. Although Moldovan nurses are registered in their own country, they cannot work as nurses in EU member states; it’s a brain waste.

nursing and midwifery to WHO’s 2020 European health policy to improve health and wellbeing. ‘It will also be an opportunity to accelerate the political commitment to enhancing nursing and midwifery roles,’ says Professor Perfilieva NS RESOURCES Regional Committee for Europe meeting tinyurl.com/EuroRegmetg Migration of health workers tinyurl.com/WHO-migration

designed to raise standards in dementia care through a personfocused approach. The qualification is open to anyone who has an interest in broadening their knowledge about dementia, including the Alzheimer’s Society initiative Dementia Friends. Contact [email protected] Scholarships The Florence Nightingale Foundation is encouraging applications for their leadership scholarships which award funds for experienced nurses and midwives to be fast tracked to senior roles. Applicants should have a personal development plan and clear goals for their scholarship. Scholarships worth up to £15,000 are available for national and international leadership study. Deadline for applications is September 24 . tinyurl.com/FNFleadscholar

On the

move Maggie Clancy has been appointed as director of clinical services at the Children’s Trust. Ms Clancy is a registered children’s nurse with more than 30 years’ experience, ranging from intensive care to community nursing. She was most recently head of paediatric and gynaecology nursing at Kingston Hospital. Dame Jessica Corner, dean of health sciences at the University of Southampton, has been elected chair of the Council of Deans of Health. Professor Corner is known for her research in improving care for people with cancer. Brian Webster, assistant dean in the faculty of health, life and social sciences at Edinburgh Napier University, was elected as vice-chair of the Council of Deans of Nursing, Midwifery and Applied Health Professionals. Professor Webster is a mental health and general nurse and has worked in oncology and emergency care and substance misuse services Bernadine Rees has been appointed the new chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board in Wales. Ms Rees trained as a nurse and was chief executive of the former Pembrokeshire Local Health Board and Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire local health boards.

Education The Shape of Caring review, a joint exercise between the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Health Education England, is seeking evidence to inform its final report, which will ensure nurses and care assistants receive better education and training. Evidence is being sought from across the UK on the type of workforce required to meet the predicted needs of patients and the public. Comments should be submitted by 5pm on September 17. tinyurl.com/HEENMCSoC Healthy workplaces Mindful Employer is an NHS initiative run by Workways, part of Devon Partnership NHS Trust, that supports people with a mental health conditions to find or remain in employment. The organisation will be holding its tenth anniversary conference on October 15. Closing date for bookings: October 1. www.mindfulemployer.net/conference

NURSING september :: voluses 29without no 1 :: permission. 2014 65 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 15, 2015. For personal use only. No 3other Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nursing back on WHO's agenda.

Europe's health ministers, gathering in Copenhagen for the World Health Organization's Regional Committee for Europe on September 15-18, will be discu...
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