NEWS
PA IMAGES
Former nurse is the first to volunteer for Ebola trial A former NHS nurse has become the first person from the UK to test a potentially lifesaving vaccine to tackle the spread of the Ebola virus. Ruth Atkins (pictured) volunteered to receive a vaccine for the clinical trial at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute. There have been 3,684 Ebola cases and 1,841 deaths reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The vaccine uses a single Ebola virus protein to generate an immune response. It does not contain infectious material. Ms Atkins, who worked at Northampton and Ketting general hospitals in the 1980s and 90s, said: ‘This was something small I could do to hopefully make a huge impact.’
Trusts introduce IV administration workbook to log evidence of skills By Alistair Kleebauer
@alistairbauer
Employers need to check that nurses are confident in IV administration when they are recruited, a clinical skills expert said. Lisa McMillan, clinical skills education lead at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, said staff are often unable to produce documentation of their competence. The National Patient Safety Agency said incidence in errors in prescribing, preparing and administering injectable medicines is higher than for any other forms of medication. It says organisations must ensure clinicians are trained and supported to gain the necessary competence level. Ms McMillan said employers should consider asking all recruits who will be administer IV drugs to complete a checklist or workbook. In 2012, Chelsea and Westminster joined the Royal Marsden and the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS foundation trusts to produce the IV
Drug Administration Knowledge and Skills Workbook. This features practical information on drug administration, drug calculations and supervised assessments, and prompts reflective accounts and continuing practice assessment. Speaking at an IV therapy conference in London, Ms McMillan said it can be difficult for staff to show evidence of their competence when moving to a new employer. ‘Healthcare professionals can be administering IV drugs for years, but will be unable to provide any evidence of their competence beyond a few crumpled bits of paper,’ Ms McMillan said. ‘The workbook allows us to see what skills staff have. We do not want people to give IV drugs without showing a certain standard. It is not to put down the standard in the other trusts. What we do find is the majority of staff have confidence in giving IVs after completing the workbook.’ All new staff working in IV drug administration at the three trusts must
complete the workbook, which was drawn up in consultation with staff and patient groups. It makes it easier to identify any gaps in training or knowledge, Ms McMillan said. At Chelsea and Westminster, members of staff are given study days to use the workbook.
Transparency
Ms McMillan added that other organisations may have their own methods of checking whether staff are up to date, but having a standard workbook across the NHS would be more transparent. ‘There are other trusts that have very good workbooks. But by working to a similar model, it makes everything a lot more transparent and transferable,’ she said. ‘We are not going to make people who have years of experience sit through a study day, but by completing the book we know they have attained the right standards.’ For more details on the workbook email [email protected]
NURSING :: vol 29without no 4 ::permission. 2014 11 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 23, 2015. For personalseptember use only. No24 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
PA IMAGES
Former nurse is the first to volunteer for Ebola trial A former NHS nurse has become the first person from the UK to test a potentially lifesaving vaccine to tackle the spread of the Ebola virus. Ruth Atkins (pictured) volunteered to receive a vaccine for the clinical trial at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute. There have been 3,684 Ebola cases and 1,841 deaths reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The vaccine uses a single Ebola virus protein to generate an immune response. It does not contain infectious material. Ms Atkins, who worked at Northampton and Ketting general hospitals in the 1980s and 90s, said: ‘This was something small I could do to hopefully make a huge impact.’
Trusts introduce IV administration workbook to log evidence of skills By Alistair Kleebauer
@alistairbauer
Employers need to check that nurses are confident in IV administration when they are recruited, a clinical skills expert said. Lisa McMillan, clinical skills education lead at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, said staff are often unable to produce documentation of their competence. The National Patient Safety Agency said incidence in errors in prescribing, preparing and administering injectable medicines is higher than for any other forms of medication. It says organisations must ensure clinicians are trained and supported to gain the necessary competence level. Ms McMillan said employers should consider asking all recruits who will be administer IV drugs to complete a checklist or workbook. In 2012, Chelsea and Westminster joined the Royal Marsden and the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS foundation trusts to produce the IV
Drug Administration Knowledge and Skills Workbook. This features practical information on drug administration, drug calculations and supervised assessments, and prompts reflective accounts and continuing practice assessment. Speaking at an IV therapy conference in London, Ms McMillan said it can be difficult for staff to show evidence of their competence when moving to a new employer. ‘Healthcare professionals can be administering IV drugs for years, but will be unable to provide any evidence of their competence beyond a few crumpled bits of paper,’ Ms McMillan said. ‘The workbook allows us to see what skills staff have. We do not want people to give IV drugs without showing a certain standard. It is not to put down the standard in the other trusts. What we do find is the majority of staff have confidence in giving IVs after completing the workbook.’ All new staff working in IV drug administration at the three trusts must
complete the workbook, which was drawn up in consultation with staff and patient groups. It makes it easier to identify any gaps in training or knowledge, Ms McMillan said. At Chelsea and Westminster, members of staff are given study days to use the workbook.
Transparency
Ms McMillan added that other organisations may have their own methods of checking whether staff are up to date, but having a standard workbook across the NHS would be more transparent. ‘There are other trusts that have very good workbooks. But by working to a similar model, it makes everything a lot more transparent and transferable,’ she said. ‘We are not going to make people who have years of experience sit through a study day, but by completing the book we know they have attained the right standards.’ For more details on the workbook email [email protected]
NURSING :: vol 29without no 4 ::permission. 2014 11 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 23, 2015. For personalseptember use only. No24 other uses Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
