acute patients, unsafe care is likely and just as important, care is left undone. Jenny Kay, by email
GOOD NURSING REQUIRES CARING PRACTITIONERS WITH KNOWLEDGE In today’s ever-changing and ever-stressful health service, nurses need to be caring and knowledgeable individuals. It is ridiculous that some people feel nurses only need to be caring and kind to be effective. It is equally misguided that others see nursing solely as an academic discipline detached from hands-on care. Being caring or knowledgeable is simply not enough. Nurses need to be both. Nursing is a discipline and practice is centred on people. While a caring and compassionate attitude is essential in effective nursing practice, for the care to be effective, nurses need a strong knowledge base – one where acquired knowledge can be delivered by kind and caring means. A nurse who has just one of these attributes is like half of a double act. Who ever heard of ‘The one Ronnie’, ‘One Fat Lady’ or ‘Morecambe without Wise’? Donato Tallo, by email
TO CUT BENEFITS BECAUSE SOMEONE IS OBESE WOULD BE INHUMANE Your Readers Panel (Reflections March 11) is asked should people who refuse medical help for treatable conditions such as obesity have their sickness benefits cut? I am pleased with the responses from the four panellists – humanitarians all. I agree with patient safety adviser Jane Brown that to cut benefits because people refuse medical treatments looks like we are simply punishing people, rather than getting to the root of the problem. Practice nurse Linda Drake says this is a blatant move towards ‘victim blaming’ and clinical nurse specialist Craig Hopkins says any cuts in income are likely to exacerbate the
problem. Staff nurse Scott Justice says support should be a priority, not stigmatisation. But the general message we hear so often seems to be ‘get healthy, or else’; or perhaps it is more often along the lines of: ‘If people want to get fat, be depressed and drink themselves to death, they can, but not at my expense.’ I am shocked by this proposal to cut the sickness benefits of people who are obese. What about fat MPs? Should we exclude them from standing at the next election? Bridget Ryan, by email
WEBSITE OPENS UP A VAST UNIVERSE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR EVERY NURSE I accessed your new RCNi website today from Hong Kong. You must have had much praise already, and I just want to add my first impressions. What was extraordinarily thrilling was any nursing student, practising nurse, specialist nurse or curious individual anywhere in the world can enter this vast universe of knowledge, skills and expertise in any specialist field and be informed and inspired. As a regular nurse lecturer in Pakistan, my tools of imparting learning have been multiplied to an exciting extent. As a retired nurse activist who has an insatiable need to know the latest news, this website will certainly keep me connected and updated with the latest developments in the nursing world, wherever I may be. May RCNi live long and prosper. Zeba Arif, by email
I WISH RCNi HAD BEEN AROUND TO HELP ME WITH MY MASTER’S DEGREE Wow! I just logged into RCNi and what a fantastic site. I have been a nurse for many years and this really is the most exiting website for nursing I have seen. Well done to all involved. I can’t wait to explore further. Wish it had been around last year when I was doing my MSc. Mandy Kazmierski, by email
TWEETS OF THE WEEK Responses to the Shape of Caring Review published last week More overlap between branches is key but one year to learn a whole specialism is not enough #NScomment @McCandlish
Not sure of need for childrens and adult nurse crossover. But better mental health training is key. @bethcollins93
Cannulation etc is important skill, not basic skill. Agree should be taught undergrad. But so should things like auscultation @XMcVey
Please can we stop using basic? Care isn’t basic its fundamental and you continue learning each day you nurse someone @wendyjpitt61
No skill is basic @alisonleary1
I can take bloods and cannulate, did it frequently as a student yet friends in another trust couldn’t @Kate_M_85
Variation between trusts – I was taught to cannulate as pre-reg but not allowed as an RN @MsNaughtyCheese
These ‘tasks’ are performed by phlebotomists. A very reductionist view of the art & science of nursing. #NScomment @FoxHedgehog
Follow Nursing Standard @NurseStandard and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm
NURSING march 18 other :: vol uses 29 no 29 :: permission. 2015 33 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 29, 2015. For personal use only. No without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
GOOD NURSING REQUIRES CARING PRACTITIONERS WITH KNOWLEDGE In today’s ever-changing and ever-stressful health service, nurses need to be caring and knowledgeable individuals. It is ridiculous that some people feel nurses only need to be caring and kind to be effective. It is equally misguided that others see nursing solely as an academic discipline detached from hands-on care. Being caring or knowledgeable is simply not enough. Nurses need to be both. Nursing is a discipline and practice is centred on people. While a caring and compassionate attitude is essential in effective nursing practice, for the care to be effective, nurses need a strong knowledge base – one where acquired knowledge can be delivered by kind and caring means. A nurse who has just one of these attributes is like half of a double act. Who ever heard of ‘The one Ronnie’, ‘One Fat Lady’ or ‘Morecambe without Wise’? Donato Tallo, by email
TO CUT BENEFITS BECAUSE SOMEONE IS OBESE WOULD BE INHUMANE Your Readers Panel (Reflections March 11) is asked should people who refuse medical help for treatable conditions such as obesity have their sickness benefits cut? I am pleased with the responses from the four panellists – humanitarians all. I agree with patient safety adviser Jane Brown that to cut benefits because people refuse medical treatments looks like we are simply punishing people, rather than getting to the root of the problem. Practice nurse Linda Drake says this is a blatant move towards ‘victim blaming’ and clinical nurse specialist Craig Hopkins says any cuts in income are likely to exacerbate the
problem. Staff nurse Scott Justice says support should be a priority, not stigmatisation. But the general message we hear so often seems to be ‘get healthy, or else’; or perhaps it is more often along the lines of: ‘If people want to get fat, be depressed and drink themselves to death, they can, but not at my expense.’ I am shocked by this proposal to cut the sickness benefits of people who are obese. What about fat MPs? Should we exclude them from standing at the next election? Bridget Ryan, by email
WEBSITE OPENS UP A VAST UNIVERSE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR EVERY NURSE I accessed your new RCNi website today from Hong Kong. You must have had much praise already, and I just want to add my first impressions. What was extraordinarily thrilling was any nursing student, practising nurse, specialist nurse or curious individual anywhere in the world can enter this vast universe of knowledge, skills and expertise in any specialist field and be informed and inspired. As a regular nurse lecturer in Pakistan, my tools of imparting learning have been multiplied to an exciting extent. As a retired nurse activist who has an insatiable need to know the latest news, this website will certainly keep me connected and updated with the latest developments in the nursing world, wherever I may be. May RCNi live long and prosper. Zeba Arif, by email
I WISH RCNi HAD BEEN AROUND TO HELP ME WITH MY MASTER’S DEGREE Wow! I just logged into RCNi and what a fantastic site. I have been a nurse for many years and this really is the most exiting website for nursing I have seen. Well done to all involved. I can’t wait to explore further. Wish it had been around last year when I was doing my MSc. Mandy Kazmierski, by email
TWEETS OF THE WEEK Responses to the Shape of Caring Review published last week More overlap between branches is key but one year to learn a whole specialism is not enough #NScomment @McCandlish
Not sure of need for childrens and adult nurse crossover. But better mental health training is key. @bethcollins93
Cannulation etc is important skill, not basic skill. Agree should be taught undergrad. But so should things like auscultation @XMcVey
Please can we stop using basic? Care isn’t basic its fundamental and you continue learning each day you nurse someone @wendyjpitt61
No skill is basic @alisonleary1
I can take bloods and cannulate, did it frequently as a student yet friends in another trust couldn’t @Kate_M_85
Variation between trusts – I was taught to cannulate as pre-reg but not allowed as an RN @MsNaughtyCheese
These ‘tasks’ are performed by phlebotomists. A very reductionist view of the art & science of nursing. #NScomment @FoxHedgehog
Follow Nursing Standard @NurseStandard and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm
NURSING march 18 other :: vol uses 29 no 29 :: permission. 2015 33 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 29, 2015. For personal use only. No without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
