News
GUIDANCE ON the cleaning responsibilities of nursing and domestic staff must be communicated clearly, the RCN said. A report on hospital cleanliness in Scotland found there is confusion about who is responsible for cleaning. The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate found unclean patient equipment, including contaminated trolley beds. RCN Scotland director Theresa Fyffe said: ‘As our nursing and overall NHS staff workforce is increasingly stretched to meet the demands of their jobs, it is more likely that aspects of cleaning will fall through the gaps. It is imperative that clear guidance on the roles and responsibilities of nursing and cleaning staff is implemented and communicated effectively.’ She added that senior charge nurses should have the authority to ensure equipment is fit for patient use and the ward is clean.
i Find out more
RCN guidance on the subject is available at tinyurl.com/ohp8eqz
UK Supreme Court ruling emphasises need to explain risks HEATHCARE PROFESSIONALS will need to ensure patients understand the seriousness of their conditions and the risks associated with proposed treatment as a result of a judgement by the UK Supreme Court. In the case of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board, the court found last month that a pregnant woman most likely would have chosen to have a caesarean section had she been told about a risk relating to her child’s delivery. Shoulder dystocia – the inability of the baby’s shoulders to pass through the pelvis – occurred during the baby’s delivery and he was born with severe disabilities because of a lack of oxygen and nerve injury during the birth. NURSING MANAGEMENT
Mike Wilkinson
Clarity needed on who is responsible for cleaning up
RCN Bulletin Jobs Fair attracts huge turnout MORE THAN 1,000 nurses and students seeking new employment or to develop their careers attended the RCN Bulletin Jobs Fair in Glasgow last week. The 56 employers on show included healthcare providers, recruitment agencies, The court endorsed a judgement in the High Court of Australia in 1992, which said a healthcare professional should warn a patient of a risk if that patient was likely to find it significant. The judgement concluded that this should occur even if the patient places greater significance on the risk ‘than the hypothetical reasonable patient might do’. London South Bank University reader in law and ethics Louise Terry said that as a result, nurses must consider patients’ individual characteristics when discussing treatment risks and alternatives. ‘There needs to be dialogue between the healthcare professional and the patient to identify what the patient is likely to consider significant in terms of their life,’ she said.
NMC offers more time to prepare for revalidation NURSES AND midwives will be given at least six months to prepare for the introduction of revalidation under a new
the armed forces, charities and private sector organisations. Seminar sessions included CV writing and interview skills. Future RCN Bulletin Jobs Fairs are in Birmingham, July 2-3; London, September 10-11; and Manchester, November 5-6. timetable agreed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Detailed guidance setting out the NMC’s requirements will be issued in October, three months earlier than previously planned, to give registrants time to develop portfolios containing evidence of compliance. The first registrants affected will be those who re-register in April 2016, who will have until April 1 to submit their revalidation applications. The NMC is yet to decide how many applications will be checked in detail. In the meantime, management consultants KPMG are conducting assessments on whether employers across the UK are ready to play their part in the process and the likely costs involved. The information from the assessments and the revalidation pilots will be considered by council members at their July meeting. The NMC is assessing its own preparedness to audit registrant compliance. It is also monitoring progress among 2,500 registrants in 19 pilot sites, where it plans to study about 5% of portfolios closely. See opinion, pages 12-13 May 2015 | Volume 22 | Number 2
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GUIDANCE ON the cleaning responsibilities of nursing and domestic staff must be communicated clearly, the RCN said. A report on hospital cleanliness in Scotland found there is confusion about who is responsible for cleaning. The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate found unclean patient equipment, including contaminated trolley beds. RCN Scotland director Theresa Fyffe said: ‘As our nursing and overall NHS staff workforce is increasingly stretched to meet the demands of their jobs, it is more likely that aspects of cleaning will fall through the gaps. It is imperative that clear guidance on the roles and responsibilities of nursing and cleaning staff is implemented and communicated effectively.’ She added that senior charge nurses should have the authority to ensure equipment is fit for patient use and the ward is clean.
i Find out more
RCN guidance on the subject is available at tinyurl.com/ohp8eqz
UK Supreme Court ruling emphasises need to explain risks HEATHCARE PROFESSIONALS will need to ensure patients understand the seriousness of their conditions and the risks associated with proposed treatment as a result of a judgement by the UK Supreme Court. In the case of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board, the court found last month that a pregnant woman most likely would have chosen to have a caesarean section had she been told about a risk relating to her child’s delivery. Shoulder dystocia – the inability of the baby’s shoulders to pass through the pelvis – occurred during the baby’s delivery and he was born with severe disabilities because of a lack of oxygen and nerve injury during the birth. NURSING MANAGEMENT
Mike Wilkinson
Clarity needed on who is responsible for cleaning up
RCN Bulletin Jobs Fair attracts huge turnout MORE THAN 1,000 nurses and students seeking new employment or to develop their careers attended the RCN Bulletin Jobs Fair in Glasgow last week. The 56 employers on show included healthcare providers, recruitment agencies, The court endorsed a judgement in the High Court of Australia in 1992, which said a healthcare professional should warn a patient of a risk if that patient was likely to find it significant. The judgement concluded that this should occur even if the patient places greater significance on the risk ‘than the hypothetical reasonable patient might do’. London South Bank University reader in law and ethics Louise Terry said that as a result, nurses must consider patients’ individual characteristics when discussing treatment risks and alternatives. ‘There needs to be dialogue between the healthcare professional and the patient to identify what the patient is likely to consider significant in terms of their life,’ she said.
NMC offers more time to prepare for revalidation NURSES AND midwives will be given at least six months to prepare for the introduction of revalidation under a new
the armed forces, charities and private sector organisations. Seminar sessions included CV writing and interview skills. Future RCN Bulletin Jobs Fairs are in Birmingham, July 2-3; London, September 10-11; and Manchester, November 5-6. timetable agreed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Detailed guidance setting out the NMC’s requirements will be issued in October, three months earlier than previously planned, to give registrants time to develop portfolios containing evidence of compliance. The first registrants affected will be those who re-register in April 2016, who will have until April 1 to submit their revalidation applications. The NMC is yet to decide how many applications will be checked in detail. In the meantime, management consultants KPMG are conducting assessments on whether employers across the UK are ready to play their part in the process and the likely costs involved. The information from the assessments and the revalidation pilots will be considered by council members at their July meeting. The NMC is assessing its own preparedness to audit registrant compliance. It is also monitoring progress among 2,500 registrants in 19 pilot sites, where it plans to study about 5% of portfolios closely. See opinion, pages 12-13 May 2015 | Volume 22 | Number 2
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 23, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
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