IN BRIEF
RCN CAMHS EXPERT ADVISES MINISTERS A consultant nurse will represent the RCN on a government task force set up to advise ministers on how mental health services for young people can be improved. Laurence Baldwin, who has worked in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) for 25 years, is the former chair of the RCN children and young people’s mental health forum. Members of the children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing task force also include representatives from NHS England, teachers and England’s chief social worker. The expert panel plans to look at a range of issues such as the barriers to accessing services, including stigma, and confusion around what is available. Mr Baldwin said: ‘We must do everything we can to help young people when they experience periods of mental distress so they can go on to flourish as they grow up.’ RCN East Midlands director Sheila Marriott said Mr Baldwin’s appointment to the group ‘speaks volumes about his expertise and experience’.
Nursing care toolkit helps ensure safety in numbers A guide that will help nurses ensure there are safe numbers of staff on hospital wards has been endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The Safer Nursing Care Tool (SNCT) was developed by the Shelford Group, which is made up of senior staff – including chief nurses – from ten leading NHS organisations. Using the toolkit, ward sisters assign each patient an acuity score from level 0 to level 3, each of which has the time it will take to nurse their patient. The scores for each patient on the ward are added together to determine how many staff are needed. The toolkit was co-created by Katherine Fenton, chief nurse at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Fenton said that the SNCT reflects the changes in patients needs in recent years ‘and gives nurses and patients the confidence that staffing is geared not just to numbers but also to dependency’. NICE said the toolkit should be used alongside its guidelines on safe staffing for nursing in acute hospitals. The SNCT can be found at tiny.cc/SNCT
An online resource that supports nurses’ health, with advice on diet, has been developed by the International Council of Nurses. Healthy Nurses, Healthy Communities advises nurses that thirst is often mistaken for hunger and recommends avoiding food late at night, eating breakfast and having smaller meals throughout the day to regulate metabolism. Tips for managing stress and fitting exercise into daily routines are also included. Go to www.growyourwellness.com A £650,000 prize pot is available for nurses and other healthcare workers who develop innovative ways to deliver care. The NHS Innovation Challenge Prize has seven categories, including patient safety, enhanced care for patients with diabetes, and technology that can speed up diagnosis. NHS chief executive Simon Stevens announced the funding at the Queen’s Nursing Institute annual conference last week. To apply by November 7 go to www.england.nhs.uk/challengeprize Patients aged under 40 with diabetes have fewer vital checks, including blood pressure and cholesterol, than those who are older, according to an audit carried out in England and Wales. The National Diabetes Audit 2012/13, which looked at the care of more than two million people, found that 60 per cent of those aged 65 to 79 with Type 1 diabetes had all the checks recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. For details go to www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/natdiabetesaudit RCN honorary treasurer David Harding-Price has withdrawn as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Lincoln for 2015. He argues that MPs failed to support nurses by giving them a pay rise while accepting an above-inflation boost to their own salaries. ‘After a quarter of a century active in politics, I am sorry to take this action,’ Mr Harding-Price said. England’s chief nurse Jane Cummings has written to NHS staff urging them to have the flu vaccination. The letter, also signed by Public Health England director of nursing Viv Bennett, points out that 55 per cent of staff had the vaccination during the 2013/14 flu season. Benevolent charity the Cavell Nurses’ Trust has urged nurses who have taken out a high-interest loan through Wonga to find out if they are eligible for a refund. The payday loan firm announced last week it was to refund £220 million of debts for 330,000 customers whose loans would not have been approved under new affordability guidelines. The trust advised nurses to call the Wonga helpdesk on 020 7138 8330. Nurses dealing with patients who have had a blackout should take a detailed clinical history and speak to anyone who has witnessed it, says the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. A new quality standard for healthcare workers says blackouts can be a sign of an underlying heart problem or nervous system disorder. It recommends carrying out an electrocardiogram during an initial assessment. Go to www.nice.org.uk/guidance/QS71
NURSING :: vol 29without no 6 :: permission. 2014 13 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 21, 2015. For personal useoctober only. No 8 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
RCN CAMHS EXPERT ADVISES MINISTERS A consultant nurse will represent the RCN on a government task force set up to advise ministers on how mental health services for young people can be improved. Laurence Baldwin, who has worked in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) for 25 years, is the former chair of the RCN children and young people’s mental health forum. Members of the children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing task force also include representatives from NHS England, teachers and England’s chief social worker. The expert panel plans to look at a range of issues such as the barriers to accessing services, including stigma, and confusion around what is available. Mr Baldwin said: ‘We must do everything we can to help young people when they experience periods of mental distress so they can go on to flourish as they grow up.’ RCN East Midlands director Sheila Marriott said Mr Baldwin’s appointment to the group ‘speaks volumes about his expertise and experience’.
Nursing care toolkit helps ensure safety in numbers A guide that will help nurses ensure there are safe numbers of staff on hospital wards has been endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The Safer Nursing Care Tool (SNCT) was developed by the Shelford Group, which is made up of senior staff – including chief nurses – from ten leading NHS organisations. Using the toolkit, ward sisters assign each patient an acuity score from level 0 to level 3, each of which has the time it will take to nurse their patient. The scores for each patient on the ward are added together to determine how many staff are needed. The toolkit was co-created by Katherine Fenton, chief nurse at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Fenton said that the SNCT reflects the changes in patients needs in recent years ‘and gives nurses and patients the confidence that staffing is geared not just to numbers but also to dependency’. NICE said the toolkit should be used alongside its guidelines on safe staffing for nursing in acute hospitals. The SNCT can be found at tiny.cc/SNCT
An online resource that supports nurses’ health, with advice on diet, has been developed by the International Council of Nurses. Healthy Nurses, Healthy Communities advises nurses that thirst is often mistaken for hunger and recommends avoiding food late at night, eating breakfast and having smaller meals throughout the day to regulate metabolism. Tips for managing stress and fitting exercise into daily routines are also included. Go to www.growyourwellness.com A £650,000 prize pot is available for nurses and other healthcare workers who develop innovative ways to deliver care. The NHS Innovation Challenge Prize has seven categories, including patient safety, enhanced care for patients with diabetes, and technology that can speed up diagnosis. NHS chief executive Simon Stevens announced the funding at the Queen’s Nursing Institute annual conference last week. To apply by November 7 go to www.england.nhs.uk/challengeprize Patients aged under 40 with diabetes have fewer vital checks, including blood pressure and cholesterol, than those who are older, according to an audit carried out in England and Wales. The National Diabetes Audit 2012/13, which looked at the care of more than two million people, found that 60 per cent of those aged 65 to 79 with Type 1 diabetes had all the checks recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. For details go to www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/natdiabetesaudit RCN honorary treasurer David Harding-Price has withdrawn as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in Lincoln for 2015. He argues that MPs failed to support nurses by giving them a pay rise while accepting an above-inflation boost to their own salaries. ‘After a quarter of a century active in politics, I am sorry to take this action,’ Mr Harding-Price said. England’s chief nurse Jane Cummings has written to NHS staff urging them to have the flu vaccination. The letter, also signed by Public Health England director of nursing Viv Bennett, points out that 55 per cent of staff had the vaccination during the 2013/14 flu season. Benevolent charity the Cavell Nurses’ Trust has urged nurses who have taken out a high-interest loan through Wonga to find out if they are eligible for a refund. The payday loan firm announced last week it was to refund £220 million of debts for 330,000 customers whose loans would not have been approved under new affordability guidelines. The trust advised nurses to call the Wonga helpdesk on 020 7138 8330. Nurses dealing with patients who have had a blackout should take a detailed clinical history and speak to anyone who has witnessed it, says the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. A new quality standard for healthcare workers says blackouts can be a sign of an underlying heart problem or nervous system disorder. It recommends carrying out an electrocardiogram during an initial assessment. Go to www.nice.org.uk/guidance/QS71
NURSING :: vol 29without no 6 :: permission. 2014 13 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 21, 2015. For personal useoctober only. No 8 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
