Staff focus updates - 21 March 2013

New policy, guidance and initiatives from across the UK which focus on staff issues and professional development. For more information about this theme see Quality and Safety eBulletin: staff focus.

Some of the resources linked to are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.

Care Inspectorate: SCMA eLearning Tool. Scottish Childminding Association have recently launched e-learning workshops for childminders. Topics include: Safe and secure: Child Protection; Getting it right for every child; Child led planning; Infection Prevention and Control in Childcare Settings. These are available to SCMA members only.  

Centre for Workforce Intelligence (CFWI): Making the most of allied health professionals. This thought leadership paper on the allied health professionals is an assessment of current workforce issues and potential opportunities for improvement. The paper brought together a leadership group to consider how best to organize the allied health workforce across care pathways, considering factors such as optimum skill mix, education and leadership, and complements the AHP Quality Innovation Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) toolkit. 

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP): Fit enough for patients? An audit of workplace health and wellbeing services for NHS staff. Headline findings from this CSP report include: more than a third (37 per cent) of the 163 trusts that responded to the CSP’s freedom of information (FoI) request admitted to not having a health and wellbeing strategy in place; Trusts without strategies saw sick pay rise by 14 per cent in the past three years, as opposed to four per cent for those with a plan in place.  “Physiotherapy services play a vital role in improving staff health and wellbeing.  Evidence has shown that early access to physiotherapy can reduce staff sickness rates, stop people going off sick at all or help them return to work more quickly”.

FoNS Centre for Nursing Innovation: Richard Tompkins Nurse Development Scholarship 2013. The Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS) has announced this development opportunity for a registered nurse, midwife or health visitor who is committed to developing person-centred cultures of care. The scholarship is open to practitioners who are working clinically in any healthcare setting UK-wide, and is targeting in particular, those at ward sister level or equivalent. The Scholarship includes attendance at a 5-day practice development school, opportunity to work towards academic accreditation as a distance learner, 12 months mentorship from FoNS to support an innovation in practice. The closing date for applications is 28 March 2013.

Guardian Healthcare Professionals Network: Healthcare professionals' experiences of whistleblowing. A selection of answers from health care professionals who were asked via a Network survey whether they had ever reported serious concerns over the delivery of care.

Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC): General Ophthalmic Services, workforce statistics - England and Wales, 31 December 2012. This publication shows the number of ophthalmic practitioners (Optometrists and Ophthalmic Medical Practitioners) who were authorised, by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England and Local Health Boards (LHBs) in Wales, to carry out NHS funded sight tests as at 31 December 2012.

King’s Fund: Volunteering in health and care: securing a sustainable future. This report considers the role and value of volunteers in health and social care. It looks at the important part that volunteers play in improving patient experience, addressing health inequalities, and building a closer relationship between services and communities. It also outlines the changing nature of volunteering, why this can cause tensions, and why volunteering does not always reach its full potential. The authors discuss the future of volunteering in the light of the financial challenges facing public services and the reforms introduced by the Heath and Social Care Act 2012. They conclude by presenting two different scenarios and giving recommendations for achieving the best case scenario.
King’s Fund blog: The crucial role of volunteers in supporting compassionate, high-quality patient care.

King’s Fund Think differently blog: Delivering the workforce of the future. Brings together the contributions on this discussion.

National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU) Policy+: Issue 38: What are 12-hour shifts good for? “While healthcare organisations need to find ways to deliver nursing care around the clock, and efficiency is a key consideration, nurse leaders have raised concerns about whether nurses can function effectively and safely when working long hours”. This issue focuses specifically on what is known about the impact of shift length on patient safety, employee health, and quality of care.

NHS Employers: Revalidation: starters and leavers guidance for employers. This guidance aims to provide employers with information on how revalidation and the responsible officer regulations might alter current practice in relation to: pre employment checks; induction processes and processes during employment; leaving employment; and practice for locum doctors and doctors on temporary or fixed-term contracts.

NHS Employers: Increasing staff engagement with social media. This briefing looks at how use of social media can improve staff engagement. It is aimed at the HR community but will also be of interest to communications teams and line managers. It discusses how social media platforms can be used to engage staff and provides examples of good practice.

NHS Employers: Appraisal and objective setting: top tips for employers in the NHS. This guidance document sets out some key messages to help employers with their appraisal systems. It focuses on helping managers prepare and undertake appraisals, set objectives and plan what should be done between appraisals.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Update: overseas registration of nurses and midwives. The NMC announced suspension of overseas registration on 1 February 2013 while they conducted a review, involving external expertise. Although the review is not complete the NMC have stated the two issues identified at this point as: concerns over training requirements from four countries; concerns about validating identity information.

RCN urgently needs you views. The Royal College of Nursing is strongly encouraging members to fill in a survey to help the organisation campaign on important issues for nursing and patient care. The research company ICM is carrying out the survey on behalf of the RCN. The survey covers the Francis report into failings at Mid Staffordshire, members’ experiences around raising concerns about patient care, and the burden of paperwork and bureaucracy. The RCN will use the results to influence the media, politicians and the public, and fight for change based on member feedback. Members are asked to keep an eye out for a link to the survey in their email inbox. The survey closes on 2 April 2013.

RCN: New Raising concerns guidance. This covers the practicalities including timescales, who to raise the concern with and the basic steps to follow. It also answers questions about confidentiality, support and contacting the RCN for additional help.

RCN: RCN training and education framework for fertility nursing (PDF 399.9KB). This publication arose from an identified need for clarity about the training and education requirements of nurses and midwives working at different levels of practice to support role extension and career progression; also from a subsequent survey commissioned by the RCN Midwifery and Fertility Nursing Forum. The framework has been developed in consultation with experts (nursing, education, research and sonography) to ensure the vision for fertility nursing in the 21st century can be met across the UK.

RCN: The management of diarrhoea in adults: guidance for nursing staff (PDF 946.2).The guidance has been developed in collaboration with patients and health care workers as a holistic document to recognise and support the management of acute diarrhoea in adult patients, regardless of the care setting. It should be used to complement local policies on the management of diarrhoea but may also be useful in supporting the development of relevant policies and procedures in health care organisations where they don’t already exist.

RCN: International nurses needed for survey response. Filipino, Indian and Vietnamese nurses working in the UK are being encouraged to complete an anonymous online questionnaire to help improve understanding of their experiences of work. The research, commissioned by the International Labour Organization (ILO), will investigate the experiences of nurses recruited from overseas. Situated within the framework of the ILO’s Decent Work Across Borders project, the study explores nurses’ working experiences in the UK, with a specific focus on Indian, Filipino and Vietnamese-born nurses.

RCN: one per cent is not enough. A one per cent pay increase for NHS staff does nothing to address the financial difficulties nursing staff are facing after a two-year pay freeze, the Royal College of Nursing has said.

RCN responds to 2013 budget. The Royal College of Nursing has said nursing staff will continue to struggle financially in light of announcements made in Chancellor George Osborne’s 2013 budget.RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter said hard working nurses will find little to celebrate. “We know nursing staff are already struggling to keep their heads above water as their pay falls further and further behind the rate of inflation”.

Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network (RWPN): New network launched for rehabilitation professionals. This new network has been launched to bring together all qualified rehabilitation workers in the UK. It is hosted by VISION 2020 UK. The aim of the network is to represent the interests of rehabilitation workers and promote the work of the profession as it continues to move towards becoming a professional body. The network will enable members to promote best practice and share information.

UCL Institute of Health Equity: Working for health equity: the role of health professionals. This report demonstrates that the healthcare system and those working within it have an important and often under-utilised role in reducing health inequalities through action on the social determinants of health. The report discusses the best ways to reduce inequities through workforce education and training, practical actions to be taken during interactions with patients, ways of working in partnership, and the role of advocacy. It also includes a section on the health system, which analyses which mechanisms and structures are supportive of actions to reduce health inequality, and where further development might be needed.