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ONE OF the UK’s largest providers of social care services has called for an urgent amendment to care rules that ‘risk pushing emergency departments to breaking point’. Home Group has warned that the national eligibility criteria for the Care Act 2014, which are out for consultation until August 15, will restrict social care and could affect more than one million people who need support. The changes will come into effect in April 2015. Executive director of care and support RachaeI Byrne said: ‘People seen as having “moderate” needs and their families will

Call for evidence about hospital failures in Northern Ireland AN INQUIRY into whether patients’ human rights have been violated in emergency departments (EDs) has been launched by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC). The commission will explore the extent to which the legal, policy and regulatory framework for emergency care respects, protects and fulfils human rights. The inquiry panel will include NIHRC commissioner Marion Reynolds and former United Nations special rapporteur on the right to health Paul Hunt. Government representatives, staff, trade unions, patients and their family members are expected to give evidence to the inquiry in public hearings across Northern Ireland in September. The commission will identify good practice and make recommendations for improvement to the Northern Ireland Executive next April. NIHRC interim chair John Corey said: ‘The inquiry will consider the total experience of emergency health care from a human rights perspective. This includes the individual’s right to respect for dignity, access to information and their involvement in decision making.’ Emergency nurse practitioner Roisin Devlin, a member of the RCN Northern Ireland Emergency Care Network, said: ‘The fact that EMERGENCY NURSE

be left to fund their own care. This simply isn’t realistic for many people, and experience shows us that people will fall into crisis and turn to their GP’s surgery or A&E services for help.’ Alamy

Care act change set to increase workload of urgent care providers

Some vulnerable people may have to pay for their own care

there has been an inquiry to see whether human rights are being violated is incredibly sad but at the same time it recognises that there is a problem.’ A Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety spokesperson welcomed the review, adding: ‘It is important to state that health minister Edwin Poots has instigated a substantial body of work in recent months to ensure the quality and safety of services.’ See analysis, page 8-9

Universities urged to train all students in suicide prevention NURSES AT the RCN congress last month overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling on universities to make suicide-prevention training a part of every pre-registration nursing course, not only those for students studying the mental health branch. During the debate in Liverpool, many RCN members spoke movingly about their own experiences with friends and family members who had taken their own lives. RCN student committee representative for Scotland Grant Byrne said: ‘If call-centre workers, police and railway workers receive training, then why can’t nurses? The nursing syllabus may already be packed, but we would be more than happy to study something that could save one life, if not thousands.’

In brief NHS hospitals in England dealt with 20,320 admissions for allergies in the 12 months to February, figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show. This represents a 7.7% increase from 18,860 such admissions during the previous 12 months. An HSCIC report also shows that 61.8% (12,560) of admissions were emergencies, representing a 6.2% increase from the same period a year earlier. The rate of admissions for allergies is highest in people aged under four years. The full report can be viewed at tinyurl.com/p85wf9k The College of Emergency Medicine has welcomed the issue last month of NHS England’s best-practice guidance on providing care during the coming winter. College president Clifford Mann said: ‘Given the pressures we are experiencing now during what is traditionally a quieter period, it is vital that effective plans are in place for the winter.’ The guidance, Operational Resilience and Capacity Planning for 2014/15, is available at tinyurl.com/kgm8mz8 Emergency department staff at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have been ranked the best in England for patient satisfaction. Arrowe Park Hospital scored a total of 89 in the ‘friends and family test’, which compares with a national average for April of 55. Director of nursing and midwifery Jill Galvani said: ‘The department recently underwent extensive remodelling work to help improve the overall patient experience, and I am pleased to say that we are just about to embark on phase two.’ Correction An article on emergency department documentation in the June issue of Emergency Nurse ends on page 37 with an incorrect web link. The correct link, to an improved child record form, is rcnpublishing. com/r/form We apologise for the error. July 2014 | Volume 22 | Number 4

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Universities urged to train all students in suicide prevention.

Nurses at the RCN congress last month overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling on universities to make suicide-prevention training a part of every p...
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