Letters
Send your views by email to [email protected], post on the Nursing Standard Facebook page or visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk
Please keep letters to a maximum of 200 words, and include your full name and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited
Information systems are too vital to be left to non-nursing geeks I strongly support the view of Debbie Guy that we need to champion the role of the chief nursing information officer (Letters May 6). She is right to complain that many of the information systems currently being introduced have been designed and implemented with little input from clinical staff. As a result, few of these systems support nursing practice, and do not include the data we need to identify and use the huge amount of knowledge contained in nursing documentation. At present, our documentation is hopelessly inadequate, as attested to by every single investigation of poor nursing care. It is not in a form that can be used to provide the data we need to plan services and safe staffing levels, and to demonstrate, as opposed to merely asserting, the contribution that nursing makes to patient care. UK nursing is light years behind other countries in this field. At the 10th biennial conference of ACENDIO, the pan-European nursing organisation that is concerned with this work, there were 204 participants from 26 countries. But other than me, there was not one single nurse representing this work in the UK. We need to recognise that recording and analysing information, and using computerised information systems, is the basis for the clinical decision making that is at the core of our nursing practice. It is not something to be left to non-nursing computer geeks. June Clark, via email
TAKE POLITICS OUT OF THE NHS AND SHOW US IT IS A TRUE PRIORITY With the election frenzy well and truly over, it is time for politicians to look very seriously at how the distributed model of the UK NHS is managed. Despite what many are led to believe, there is no such thing as
‘the NHS’ in a UK context, and Westminster can only influence what happens in England. Regional versions of the NHS look very different in the devolved countries. Politicians of all colours say they wholly support the NHS. The time has come for them to take the challenge full on, and disaggregate politics from NHS delivery wherever it takes place in the UK. During the election campaign, it was appalling to see so many politicians using the NHS as a political football, scaremongering in a transparent and shoddy fashion in an attempt to score political points. My message to all those now elected across the UK, and those who hold office in the devolved countries, is this: to show real support for the NHS, you must de-politicise it and make it a true priority. Far too many of us ordinary constituents simply do not believe your promises, no matter how sincere they may be. Professor Kevin Davies MBE, via email
OMITTING SPIRITUALITY FROM NMC CODE DISADVANTAGES OUR PATIENTS I was concerned to learn that the new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code makes no reference to spirituality or spiritual care (Reflections April 29). This is inconsistent with the weight of recent research about the benefits of spiritual care. It is a surprising omission, given the guidance for chaplains issued in March by NHS England which reflects the broadening of spiritual care to encompass those who are not religious but have clearly articulated spiritual needs. Spirituality is an essential part of end of life care and of people’s understanding of health. At a time when there are still concerns about the level of care (rather than treatment) offered in the NHS, the absence of spirituality from the new Code is a worrying sign that patients are not being responded to holistically. An absence of reference to spiritual care is likely to disadvantage those
32 may 20 :: volfrom 29 no 38 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 22, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Send your views by email to [email protected], post on the Nursing Standard Facebook page or visit www.nursing-standard.co.uk
Please keep letters to a maximum of 200 words, and include your full name and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited
Information systems are too vital to be left to non-nursing geeks I strongly support the view of Debbie Guy that we need to champion the role of the chief nursing information officer (Letters May 6). She is right to complain that many of the information systems currently being introduced have been designed and implemented with little input from clinical staff. As a result, few of these systems support nursing practice, and do not include the data we need to identify and use the huge amount of knowledge contained in nursing documentation. At present, our documentation is hopelessly inadequate, as attested to by every single investigation of poor nursing care. It is not in a form that can be used to provide the data we need to plan services and safe staffing levels, and to demonstrate, as opposed to merely asserting, the contribution that nursing makes to patient care. UK nursing is light years behind other countries in this field. At the 10th biennial conference of ACENDIO, the pan-European nursing organisation that is concerned with this work, there were 204 participants from 26 countries. But other than me, there was not one single nurse representing this work in the UK. We need to recognise that recording and analysing information, and using computerised information systems, is the basis for the clinical decision making that is at the core of our nursing practice. It is not something to be left to non-nursing computer geeks. June Clark, via email
TAKE POLITICS OUT OF THE NHS AND SHOW US IT IS A TRUE PRIORITY With the election frenzy well and truly over, it is time for politicians to look very seriously at how the distributed model of the UK NHS is managed. Despite what many are led to believe, there is no such thing as
‘the NHS’ in a UK context, and Westminster can only influence what happens in England. Regional versions of the NHS look very different in the devolved countries. Politicians of all colours say they wholly support the NHS. The time has come for them to take the challenge full on, and disaggregate politics from NHS delivery wherever it takes place in the UK. During the election campaign, it was appalling to see so many politicians using the NHS as a political football, scaremongering in a transparent and shoddy fashion in an attempt to score political points. My message to all those now elected across the UK, and those who hold office in the devolved countries, is this: to show real support for the NHS, you must de-politicise it and make it a true priority. Far too many of us ordinary constituents simply do not believe your promises, no matter how sincere they may be. Professor Kevin Davies MBE, via email
OMITTING SPIRITUALITY FROM NMC CODE DISADVANTAGES OUR PATIENTS I was concerned to learn that the new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code makes no reference to spirituality or spiritual care (Reflections April 29). This is inconsistent with the weight of recent research about the benefits of spiritual care. It is a surprising omission, given the guidance for chaplains issued in March by NHS England which reflects the broadening of spiritual care to encompass those who are not religious but have clearly articulated spiritual needs. Spirituality is an essential part of end of life care and of people’s understanding of health. At a time when there are still concerns about the level of care (rather than treatment) offered in the NHS, the absence of spirituality from the new Code is a worrying sign that patients are not being responded to holistically. An absence of reference to spiritual care is likely to disadvantage those
32 may 20 :: volfrom 29 no 38 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 22, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
