News
Two parents and a pharmacist will be included in teams reviewing children’s medicines management By Jennifer Sprinks TEAMS INSPECTING children’s services should include at least two parents and a pharmacist to ask specific questions about children’s medicines management, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has conceded for its future inspections. These recommendations are just two of 70 that the CQC has accepted in whole or in part for developing a new focus for inspecting children’s services in hospital. Former national clinical director for children, young people and maternity Sheila Shribman worked with clinical experts and CQC staff to design methodology for ensuring inspections of children’s services are fit for purpose. Her report, Getting It Right for Children and Young People, made 73 recommendations. The commission said that, as well as including parents in all acute and specialist trust inspections, it will encourage young adults aged over 19 to take part. Inspection teams will include either a children’s nurse or a doctor trained in paediatrics, and will have pharmacists on the acute team to ask questions about medicines management. RCN children and young people’s adviser Fiona Smith said: ‘I am pleased
Families wish to retain links with trial during which their child died PARENTS WHOSE children die while taking part in a randomised controlled trial still wish to be kept in contact with the trial, a new study has found. The Bereavement and Randomised Controlled Trials (BRACELET) study – involving about 50% of paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the UK – looked at NURSING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
that there is a recommendation for medicines management to have a specific focus for children and young people. Having the paediatric pharmacist in the team is important because the doses and medications for children are different.’ She said inspections should also assess whether the right procedures are in place to aid children and young people’s transition to adult acute services. ‘Children and young people’s needs must be clearly heard and their perspectives taken into account.’ The Shribman report outlines examples for recognising good services for children and young people, including positive parent feedback, having young people on the board of governors and NHS trusts following RCN guidance on nurse staffing. Examples of a poor service include having high levels of negative patient and staff feedback, failing to provide round-the-clock paediatric resuscitation equipment and having no facilities for parents to stay overnight. Some of the recommendations formed the basis of pilot inspections at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. For more information go to tiny.cc/7ynclx
more than 3,000 children. It found that 6% in PICU and 17% in NICU studies died during the research. Lead researcher from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Claire Snowdon said: ‘Bereaved parents place a lot of importance on access to information about the trial – not necessarily at the time of bereavement. Many kept information about the trial in the babies’ memory boxes.’ The study was published in the journal Health Technology Assessment, visit tinyurl.com/hta-bracelet
Teenage cancer care model sets nursing competencies A NATIONAL framework for the nursing care of teenagers and young adults with cancer has been launched by the Teenage Cancer Trust. This is the first time a vision for the workforce has been set out. It covers care given to patients aged 13 to 24 and acknowledges the challenges involved in caring for this age group. Caring for Teenagers and Young Adults (TYAs) with Cancer: A Competence and Career Framework for Nursing, below, includes six competencies that apply to nurses working at all levels. These are: ■■ Demonstrates and applies specific knowledge and skills to support the complex needs of these patients. ■■ Promotes patient empowerment to ensure their views are central to all aspects of care, choice and decision making. ■■ Demonstrates and applies an evidence-based approach to nursing practice and policy. ■■ Contributes specific TYA cancer nursing knowledge and skills to wider multidisciplinary team. ■■ Contributes to nursing leadership in care. ■■ Demonstrates the need for professional development of self and others. RCN children and young people specialist care forum chair Rachel Hollis said: ‘It’s unlikely that even nurses working in dedicated units would have set out to specialise in TYA cancer. As it is increasingly and rightly being seen as a specialty, the document should be really useful in providing a clear career framework.’ See tinyurl.com/tya-framework Neil O’Connor
Regulator accepts need for new inspections criteria
September 2014 | Volume 26 | Number 7
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 26, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Two parents and a pharmacist will be included in teams reviewing children’s medicines management By Jennifer Sprinks TEAMS INSPECTING children’s services should include at least two parents and a pharmacist to ask specific questions about children’s medicines management, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has conceded for its future inspections. These recommendations are just two of 70 that the CQC has accepted in whole or in part for developing a new focus for inspecting children’s services in hospital. Former national clinical director for children, young people and maternity Sheila Shribman worked with clinical experts and CQC staff to design methodology for ensuring inspections of children’s services are fit for purpose. Her report, Getting It Right for Children and Young People, made 73 recommendations. The commission said that, as well as including parents in all acute and specialist trust inspections, it will encourage young adults aged over 19 to take part. Inspection teams will include either a children’s nurse or a doctor trained in paediatrics, and will have pharmacists on the acute team to ask questions about medicines management. RCN children and young people’s adviser Fiona Smith said: ‘I am pleased
Families wish to retain links with trial during which their child died PARENTS WHOSE children die while taking part in a randomised controlled trial still wish to be kept in contact with the trial, a new study has found. The Bereavement and Randomised Controlled Trials (BRACELET) study – involving about 50% of paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the UK – looked at NURSING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
that there is a recommendation for medicines management to have a specific focus for children and young people. Having the paediatric pharmacist in the team is important because the doses and medications for children are different.’ She said inspections should also assess whether the right procedures are in place to aid children and young people’s transition to adult acute services. ‘Children and young people’s needs must be clearly heard and their perspectives taken into account.’ The Shribman report outlines examples for recognising good services for children and young people, including positive parent feedback, having young people on the board of governors and NHS trusts following RCN guidance on nurse staffing. Examples of a poor service include having high levels of negative patient and staff feedback, failing to provide round-the-clock paediatric resuscitation equipment and having no facilities for parents to stay overnight. Some of the recommendations formed the basis of pilot inspections at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. For more information go to tiny.cc/7ynclx
more than 3,000 children. It found that 6% in PICU and 17% in NICU studies died during the research. Lead researcher from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Claire Snowdon said: ‘Bereaved parents place a lot of importance on access to information about the trial – not necessarily at the time of bereavement. Many kept information about the trial in the babies’ memory boxes.’ The study was published in the journal Health Technology Assessment, visit tinyurl.com/hta-bracelet
Teenage cancer care model sets nursing competencies A NATIONAL framework for the nursing care of teenagers and young adults with cancer has been launched by the Teenage Cancer Trust. This is the first time a vision for the workforce has been set out. It covers care given to patients aged 13 to 24 and acknowledges the challenges involved in caring for this age group. Caring for Teenagers and Young Adults (TYAs) with Cancer: A Competence and Career Framework for Nursing, below, includes six competencies that apply to nurses working at all levels. These are: ■■ Demonstrates and applies specific knowledge and skills to support the complex needs of these patients. ■■ Promotes patient empowerment to ensure their views are central to all aspects of care, choice and decision making. ■■ Demonstrates and applies an evidence-based approach to nursing practice and policy. ■■ Contributes specific TYA cancer nursing knowledge and skills to wider multidisciplinary team. ■■ Contributes to nursing leadership in care. ■■ Demonstrates the need for professional development of self and others. RCN children and young people specialist care forum chair Rachel Hollis said: ‘It’s unlikely that even nurses working in dedicated units would have set out to specialise in TYA cancer. As it is increasingly and rightly being seen as a specialty, the document should be really useful in providing a clear career framework.’ See tinyurl.com/tya-framework Neil O’Connor
Regulator accepts need for new inspections criteria
September 2014 | Volume 26 | Number 7
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 26, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
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