NEWS

Overseas recruitment problems create staff shortages for the profession RCN figures showing thousands of overseas nurses have been prevented from working in England underline that nursing should remain on the government’s shortage occupation list. Trusts that want to recruit nurses from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) must apply to the Home Office for a sponsorship certificate. Until November, nursing was not on the shortage occupation list, meaning the number of certificates was limited. A Freedom of Information request by the RCN to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) revealed that 2,341 applications by NHS trusts for certificates were refused between April and November 2015, with five of the 69 trusts that applied having all their applications turned down. RCN senior international adviser Susan Williams says the most likely reason for trusts to be denied certificates is not that nurses

failed to meet the necessary requirements, rather a cap on the number of certificates that can be issued had been reached. The MAC is due to report by February on whether nursing should remain on the shortage list. RCN general secretary Janet Davies

NURSING WAS NOT ON THE SHORTAGE OCCUPATION LIST UNTIL NOVEMBER said not keeping nursing on the list could have an effect on patient care. ‘Until enough nurses are trained in the UK, organisations need to be able to recruit nurses from overseas.’ Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust deputy director of nursing and patient services Elizabeth Harris said the refusal to grant 85 of the trust’s 127 certificate applications delayed the deployment of a cohort of nurses from the Philippines.

MS TRUST CRITICAL OF GUIDANCE ON MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

The MS Trust is refusing to endorse guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence because the advice fails to mention nurse specialists. Despite having worked with NICE on the quality standard for MS, the charity decided the standard ‘failed to recognise the importance of MS specialist nurses’. It added that the standard was too focused on newly diagnosed patients or those with relapsing remitting conditions, and lacked transparency and input from MS experts. Many MS specialist nurses expressed their thanks to the charity. Among them was Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust MS rehabilitation clinical nurse specialist Joan Bradley who said: ‘Because it doesn’t mention specialist nurses specifically, some trusts may cut costs by cutting these posts.’ To read the standard go to www.nice.org.uk/guidance/QS108

Students demand bursary talks with Jeremy Hunt Nursing students are calling for a meeting with health secretary Jeremy Hunt as they step up their campaign to keep the nursing bursary. Mr Hunt was absent from a parliamentary debate on bursaries last week. The discussion, about chancellor George Osborne’s plans to replace bursaries with loans from September 2017, was held following the success of a nurse-led petition. Just three Conservative MPs were present at the debate including health minister Ben Gummer who insisted the government was following the right course of action to bring nursing in line with the rest of the university sector. The government says the loans, along with a move to remove the limits on the 8  january 20 :: vol 30 no 21 :: 2016

number of training places, will allow an extra 10,000 nurses to train in the next five years, but opponents say nursing students could be saddled with debts of up to £60,000 on graduating. During the debate, the Lewes MP Maria Caulfield, a nurse for more than 20 years, said: ‘The bursary was supposed to compensate the students for their loss of income, but a bursary is not a wage, and it certainly does not reflect the number of hours nursing students put in during their training.’ Mr Gummer reiterated his promise to meet students, but the petitioners remain keen to talk to Mr Hunt. Danielle Tiplady, the co-organiser of a bursary protest march held in London on January 9, said: ‘I want to ask Mr Hunt if he would be willing to pay £60,000 to

complete 2,300 hours of training. I don’t think he would.’ Mr Gummer said: ‘In the absence of alternative ideas, our proposals are the way to expand places, improve diversity, increase opportunity, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, improve quality and provide support for those at university.’ Nursing students are planning a week of action to protest against the bursary plans, from February 8 to 14. They want to see rallies, banner drops and public meetings. So far, 13 university campuses have signed up to take part and petitioners hope that more will join them. The debate was held because Kat Barber’s Keep The NHS Bursary petition received more than 100,000 signatures. To sign Ms Barber’s petition go to tinyurl.com/zc4zdkg

NURSING STANDARD

Overseas recruitment problems create staff shortages for the profession.

RCN figures showing thousands of overseas nurses have been prevented from working in England underline that nursing should remain on the government's ...
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