Letters
Send your views by email to [email protected], the letters editor @RogerEvansE1, 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
Piecemeal approach could lead to confusion over industrial action Nurses and midwives will stage a four-hour strike as part of the ongoing pay dispute (News November 5). This will take place from 7am to 11am on Monday November 24. I support the strike and industrial action, and believe it is important to take a stand on pay and to present a united front. Nine unions are now involved. Members of Unite will begin an eight-week work-to-rule from November 24 to January 19. Unison members will follow the stoppage by working to rule and not doing unpaid overtime between November 25 and November 30. Royal College of Midwives members will take all breaks they are entitled to and only work paid overtime from November 25-28. RCN members are not involved in any industrial action and will be expected to work normally. Given this piecemeal action rather than a concerted approach, the situation could get complicated. To avoid any misunderstanding or resentment between colleagues in different unions working side by side, I suggest that strike rota clerks be appointed to organise the scheduling, cover for absent colleagues and to help keep the peace. I wonder what affect all this upheaval will have on union recruitment and retention. Will the unions taking a hard line end up boosting their membership, or will they end up haemorrhaging members? Time will tell. Bridget Ryan, by email
INTERNATIONAL TRADE DEAL IS ‘THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE NHS’ The RCN should be applauded for demanding that the NHS be exempted from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) (News and Reflections September 17, News October 29).
At this year’s RCN congress, the TTIP was described as ‘the biggest threat to the NHS that most people have never heard of’. This TTIP deal is being hammered out to remove trade barriers between the European Union and United States. If introduced, the NHS – and other areas of the UK public sector – would be opened up to the American market. This could lead to the permanent privatisation of the health service. The Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism that sits alongside TTIP allows private corporations to sue a state for perceived loss of profit if its government introduces legislation that impinges on the company’s profitability. To give an example of how this will work, public health initiatives such as plain packaging on packs of cigarettes could land British taxpayers with a bill from tobacco companies for loss of profits. Philip Morris is actively pursuing a huge claim against
the Australian government after it introduced plain packaging in 2012. I urge all nurses to campaign against this threat to our NHS. Kathryn Anderson, by email
UNION HELP FOR OVERSEAS NURSES DEALING WITH COMPLEX SITUATIONS Polish nurse Agnieszka Wroblewska feels she is banging her head against a brick wall in trying to gain NMC registration to work as a nurse in the UK (Letters October 29). Agnieszka’s frustrated attempts at navigating our regulatory system highlights important issues. There have been concerns about delays in registration and customer service at the NMC for some time, and the regulator is working to address these. It is of concern that Agnieszka appears to be dealing with this complex situation without support, for example, from a union. Union members can obtain representation for a range of issues and take part in campaigns to improve their terms and conditions.
NURSING STANDARD Nursing Standard 2014.29:32-33. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by University of British Columbia on 11/20/15. For personal use only.
32 november 12 :: vol 29 no 11 :: 2014
Everyone should give serious consideration to union membership. Jane Beach, professional officer, Unite, by email
USE NMC CHECKLIST AND GUIDANCE WHEN APPLYING TO REGISTER One of the most important roles of the Nursing and Midwifery Council is making sure that only those nurses and midwives who are qualified to do so can join the register. We aim to meet our regulatory requirements efficiently. For those seeking to join the register from Europe, we provide applicants with an application pack that includes guidance on how to register. We ask for certified copies of several documents, including evidence of qualifications, a good conduct and/or police clearance certificate, a certified copy of their passport or ID card and a certificate of current professional status. Automatic recognition for nurses and midwives trained in Europe only applies to the qualification of an applicant – all other documentation is required as normal. If the qualification does not fall under the automatic recognition route, we will need more information. Unfortunately we often do not get all the documents or forms we need with a first application. The most common cause of delays in registration is missing paperwork or documents that are not properly certified. We urge anyone who trained in Europe to use the checklist and guidance provided on the NMC website before applying to ensure your documentation is in order, certified, and translated into English. If you have submitted the correct information, but still experience issues, call the NMC’s registration centre to follow up on your application. Alison Sansome, NMC director of registration
RAY ROWDEN LEAVES THE WORLD A QUIETER, LESS COLOURFUL PLACE The world will be a quieter and less colourful place without Ray Rowden (Obituary October 29, Letters November 5). His high profile in the media and his sometimes wild and
NURSING STANDARD
contentious views contrasted with the quiet help and support that he gave to front line nurses, without any thought of reward or attention. June Andrews FRCN, director, Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling
MY FATHER’S END OF LIFE HOSPITAL CARE WILL HAUNT US FOR EVER I have experienced first-hand the appalling consequences of inadequate nurse staffing levels (News and Letters November 5). My father died in an NHS continuing care facility in Scotland last year, three weeks after he was admitted. I have posted details of what happened on www.patientopinion.org.uk Many of my father’s nurses talked to us about their concerns for patient safety, so much so that we contacted the Scottish minister for health about it, but with little effect. What my father and family endured in the lead up to his death still haunts us. We saw staff running from room to room, trying to deal with the complex needs of dying patients. We saw fantastic nurses reduced to tears because they could not do their job properly. The hospital primarily cares for people at the end of life. But it is not classed as providing hospice care. If it was, as one nurse told us, staffing levels would have to be increased. Shona Oliver, by email
TWEETS OF THE WEEK If you wouldn’t be happy to receive the care you deliver as a nurse, then it is not good enough for any patient you care for @Alexgms1
I would be willing to bet that when patients say please listen, they don’t mean ‘please give us another survey to complete’ @HealthwatchE
Innovation: it will soon be the Facebook generation who have long term conditions – we need to think differently @sandicarman
Rephrased for nurse educators: ‘The standard you let pass is the standard you let loose.’ @PDarbyshire
When you’re 80 years old – you shouldn’t have to ask for a drink – a #nurse should have anticipated that need already @Bartontd
There is nothing more rewarding than holding a patient’s hand and reassuring them when they’re unwell. Making a difference. @SmithCL2012
LACK OF LEADERSHIP LED TO FAILURES IN CARE OF PATIENT WITH DEMENTIA Congratulations to Ruth Perez-Merino for identifying the needs of an older patient with dementia (Reflections, October 29). However, I am concerned that it took a first-year student to recognise what registered nurses should have identified weeks previously. Where was the clinical leadership to ensure essential nursing care of washing and shaving was taking place? Why had the man not been helped to shave weeks previously? This is the classic omission that helps perpetuate the public’s perception of nurses not caring. Gary J Jones CBE FRCN
‘There is no evidence to suggest that having visiting hours keeps providers safer’. Families are not visitors but caregivers @ayms219
Listening to patients is simple (and cheap) but can be hard to do @SarahAshurst08
Follow Nursing Standard @NurseStandard and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm
november 12 :: vol 29 no 11 :: 2014 33 Nursing Standard 2014.29:32-33. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by University of British Columbia on 11/20/15. For personal use only.
Send your views by email to [email protected], the letters editor @RogerEvansE1, 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
Piecemeal approach could lead to confusion over industrial action Nurses and midwives will stage a four-hour strike as part of the ongoing pay dispute (News November 5). This will take place from 7am to 11am on Monday November 24. I support the strike and industrial action, and believe it is important to take a stand on pay and to present a united front. Nine unions are now involved. Members of Unite will begin an eight-week work-to-rule from November 24 to January 19. Unison members will follow the stoppage by working to rule and not doing unpaid overtime between November 25 and November 30. Royal College of Midwives members will take all breaks they are entitled to and only work paid overtime from November 25-28. RCN members are not involved in any industrial action and will be expected to work normally. Given this piecemeal action rather than a concerted approach, the situation could get complicated. To avoid any misunderstanding or resentment between colleagues in different unions working side by side, I suggest that strike rota clerks be appointed to organise the scheduling, cover for absent colleagues and to help keep the peace. I wonder what affect all this upheaval will have on union recruitment and retention. Will the unions taking a hard line end up boosting their membership, or will they end up haemorrhaging members? Time will tell. Bridget Ryan, by email
INTERNATIONAL TRADE DEAL IS ‘THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE NHS’ The RCN should be applauded for demanding that the NHS be exempted from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) (News and Reflections September 17, News October 29).
At this year’s RCN congress, the TTIP was described as ‘the biggest threat to the NHS that most people have never heard of’. This TTIP deal is being hammered out to remove trade barriers between the European Union and United States. If introduced, the NHS – and other areas of the UK public sector – would be opened up to the American market. This could lead to the permanent privatisation of the health service. The Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism that sits alongside TTIP allows private corporations to sue a state for perceived loss of profit if its government introduces legislation that impinges on the company’s profitability. To give an example of how this will work, public health initiatives such as plain packaging on packs of cigarettes could land British taxpayers with a bill from tobacco companies for loss of profits. Philip Morris is actively pursuing a huge claim against
the Australian government after it introduced plain packaging in 2012. I urge all nurses to campaign against this threat to our NHS. Kathryn Anderson, by email
UNION HELP FOR OVERSEAS NURSES DEALING WITH COMPLEX SITUATIONS Polish nurse Agnieszka Wroblewska feels she is banging her head against a brick wall in trying to gain NMC registration to work as a nurse in the UK (Letters October 29). Agnieszka’s frustrated attempts at navigating our regulatory system highlights important issues. There have been concerns about delays in registration and customer service at the NMC for some time, and the regulator is working to address these. It is of concern that Agnieszka appears to be dealing with this complex situation without support, for example, from a union. Union members can obtain representation for a range of issues and take part in campaigns to improve their terms and conditions.
NURSING STANDARD Nursing Standard 2014.29:32-33. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by University of British Columbia on 11/20/15. For personal use only.
32 november 12 :: vol 29 no 11 :: 2014
Everyone should give serious consideration to union membership. Jane Beach, professional officer, Unite, by email
USE NMC CHECKLIST AND GUIDANCE WHEN APPLYING TO REGISTER One of the most important roles of the Nursing and Midwifery Council is making sure that only those nurses and midwives who are qualified to do so can join the register. We aim to meet our regulatory requirements efficiently. For those seeking to join the register from Europe, we provide applicants with an application pack that includes guidance on how to register. We ask for certified copies of several documents, including evidence of qualifications, a good conduct and/or police clearance certificate, a certified copy of their passport or ID card and a certificate of current professional status. Automatic recognition for nurses and midwives trained in Europe only applies to the qualification of an applicant – all other documentation is required as normal. If the qualification does not fall under the automatic recognition route, we will need more information. Unfortunately we often do not get all the documents or forms we need with a first application. The most common cause of delays in registration is missing paperwork or documents that are not properly certified. We urge anyone who trained in Europe to use the checklist and guidance provided on the NMC website before applying to ensure your documentation is in order, certified, and translated into English. If you have submitted the correct information, but still experience issues, call the NMC’s registration centre to follow up on your application. Alison Sansome, NMC director of registration
RAY ROWDEN LEAVES THE WORLD A QUIETER, LESS COLOURFUL PLACE The world will be a quieter and less colourful place without Ray Rowden (Obituary October 29, Letters November 5). His high profile in the media and his sometimes wild and
NURSING STANDARD
contentious views contrasted with the quiet help and support that he gave to front line nurses, without any thought of reward or attention. June Andrews FRCN, director, Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling
MY FATHER’S END OF LIFE HOSPITAL CARE WILL HAUNT US FOR EVER I have experienced first-hand the appalling consequences of inadequate nurse staffing levels (News and Letters November 5). My father died in an NHS continuing care facility in Scotland last year, three weeks after he was admitted. I have posted details of what happened on www.patientopinion.org.uk Many of my father’s nurses talked to us about their concerns for patient safety, so much so that we contacted the Scottish minister for health about it, but with little effect. What my father and family endured in the lead up to his death still haunts us. We saw staff running from room to room, trying to deal with the complex needs of dying patients. We saw fantastic nurses reduced to tears because they could not do their job properly. The hospital primarily cares for people at the end of life. But it is not classed as providing hospice care. If it was, as one nurse told us, staffing levels would have to be increased. Shona Oliver, by email
TWEETS OF THE WEEK If you wouldn’t be happy to receive the care you deliver as a nurse, then it is not good enough for any patient you care for @Alexgms1
I would be willing to bet that when patients say please listen, they don’t mean ‘please give us another survey to complete’ @HealthwatchE
Innovation: it will soon be the Facebook generation who have long term conditions – we need to think differently @sandicarman
Rephrased for nurse educators: ‘The standard you let pass is the standard you let loose.’ @PDarbyshire
When you’re 80 years old – you shouldn’t have to ask for a drink – a #nurse should have anticipated that need already @Bartontd
There is nothing more rewarding than holding a patient’s hand and reassuring them when they’re unwell. Making a difference. @SmithCL2012
LACK OF LEADERSHIP LED TO FAILURES IN CARE OF PATIENT WITH DEMENTIA Congratulations to Ruth Perez-Merino for identifying the needs of an older patient with dementia (Reflections, October 29). However, I am concerned that it took a first-year student to recognise what registered nurses should have identified weeks previously. Where was the clinical leadership to ensure essential nursing care of washing and shaving was taking place? Why had the man not been helped to shave weeks previously? This is the classic omission that helps perpetuate the public’s perception of nurses not caring. Gary J Jones CBE FRCN
‘There is no evidence to suggest that having visiting hours keeps providers safer’. Families are not visitors but caregivers @ayms219
Listening to patients is simple (and cheap) but can be hard to do @SarahAshurst08
Follow Nursing Standard @NurseStandard and join the #NScomment chat on Thursdays at 12.30pm
november 12 :: vol 29 no 11 :: 2014 33 Nursing Standard 2014.29:32-33. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by University of British Columbia on 11/20/15. For personal use only.
