Letter from Carmel Bagness, RCN Midwifery and Women's Health Adviser
Published: 01 May 2013
Dear forum members
Welcome to the spring issue of the Women’s Health Forum newsletter. It has, as always, been a busy time for the forum committee, who have been championing women’s health issues on your behalf; engaging with consultations and reviewing the RCN's termination of pregnancy guidance, due to be published this summer.
By the time you read this, we will also have passed one of the key diary dates for the NHS; 1 April 2013. We will see a number of changes being implemented following the current government’s plans for the NHS in England. These will include the development of the National Commission Board, clinical governance groups (CGCs) and a wide range of new acronyms to understand their purpose and function. If you are interested in finding out more about how care will be commissioned, the King's Fund and NHS England (formerly referred to as the National Commissioning Board) are useful places to start.
Public Health England has been established to “protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and to reduce inequalities”. [http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/category/public-health/phe/]
The National Screening Committee will become part of Public Health England, as will elements of the national immunisation programmes.
Alongside these changes, there are the issues emerging following the Francis report. Read the Final Report of The Independent Inquiry Into Care Provided By Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
The RCN responded to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s statement outlining the Government’s initial response to the Francis Inquiry. Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said: “The Francis inquiry was comprehensive and based its recommendations on several years’ worth of evidence. We agree with the Government that the quality of care is as important as the quality of treatment. There was a great deal to welcome in Robert Francis’ broad range of recommendations and we would now urge the Government to build on the actions they have set out today and work with us to go even further. Together we need to ensure that we do everything possible to prevent another situation like Mid Staffordshire.”
The RCN welcomed the commitment to look at staffing levels, an issue the College has been raising for several years.
“However the reality is that nurses continue to work with up to 11 patients each in older people’s settings, and with even higher numbers in care homes,” Dr Carter stressed. “Simply leaving the setting of staffing levels to local discretion clearly isn’t working and the time has come for mandatory, legally enforceable safe staffing levels. It’s what patients need, deserve and increasingly will start to demand.”
The Francis Inquiry was also clear about the need for a register of all health care support workers (HCSWs) and the RCN is disappointed that the Government has missed an opportunity to enshrine this in law. The RCN believes that voluntary regulation may provide false reassurance and that a system based on referral to the Vetting and Barring Scheme could help keep a HCSW with a suspect record hidden, moving from one employer to another.” (published on 25 March 2013).
Read more on our campaign website, This is nursing.
I would also like to bring to your attention some new RCN resources released in the last few months that may be of interest to you:
The future is in their history
As knowledge and understanding of genetics grows and develops, its utility across the full range of health care provision will become more complex and significant to health improvements. The need for nurses, midwives and health care assistants to know and understand the implications of genetic links to health and wellbeing, use of medication and treatments, will become more critical in providing quality health care over the coming decades.
This tool looks at what questions to ask, the importance of taking an accurate family history, and the actions and skills required for the health professional in order to use the information gathered. It will be a step towards enhancing the overall resources available to enhancing care provision. View The future is in their history.
Framework for career development in fertility
The RCN Midwifery and Fertility Nursing Forum recognised the need for clarity about the training and education requirements of nurses and midwives working at different levels of practice. In response, the forum commissioned an online survey to establish the current training and education available to support the increasing role extension and opportunities for career progression. A key finding was the need to provide career and professional development guidance for practitioners working in the area of fertility care. An RCN Training and Education Framework for Fertility Nursing (PDF 339KB) has been developed in consultation with experts to ensure its vision for fertility nursing in the 21st century can be achieved across the UK.
Competences for counselling for sickle cell and thalassaemia
The RCN has been engaged in producing this work, which was commissioned by the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme to define the competences required by health professionals working with families affected by, or at risk of, sickle cell and/or thalassaemia.
The competences refer specifically to those areas of health care where the focus is on supporting families or individuals to deal with genetic risk. In many cases the practitioner will be a sickle cell or thalassaemia counsellor, but the competences are also relevant for other health professionals such as genetic counsellors or specialist midwives or health visitors working in high prevalence areas.
Read the competencies. A copy will also be kept in the RCN HQ library.
As always if you have any feedback please get in touch, especially if there is an area of practice you would like the forum to consider for a project when they meet for their strategy meeting.
Do you want to join the RCN Women’s Health Forum Steering Committee?
We have one vacancy on the RCN Women’s Health Forum Steering Committee this year. The forum welcomes applications for this voluntary post from members across the UK to help us shape policy and develop practice.
This is a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference. You’ll work on important projects and will meet new people, increasing your sphere of influence. Being on the committee will also give you lots of learning and development opportunities, providing benefits for you and your employer.
The deadline for applications is 10 May 2013 and interviews will be held on 9 July 2013.
Visit www.rcn.org.uk/appointments to find out more and apply.