Eastern Region makes the Headlines

Published: 15 May 2009

Congress week was very busy here in the Eastern Region and I hope that you have spotted your local members in the press and media. Over the week Eastern Region's members and staff have been interviewed for many local news outlets.

Carol Watts, Substance Misuse Practitioner NurseCongress discusses Legalising Brothels

Carol Watts, Substance Misuse Practitioner Nurse for young people in Cambridgeshire, led a debate on Wednesday am 13 May asking the RCN Council to make appropriate recommendations to governments to enable local authorities to license brothels.

Carol found her item on legalisation of brothels was picked up by much of the national press including the Daily Mirror, Telegraph, Mail and Nursing Times as well as Radio 5 Live. BBC Radio Cambridgeshire interviewed Carol on 14 May regarding her congress item. Carol said, "We are thinking in terms of health care provision following the murders in Ipswich which brought it to our attention. Legalising brothels is about ensuring some sort of safety and getting people into health care monitoring."

"Nurses call for brothels to be legal." Read the article from the Cambridge Evening News.

Querying Foundation Status

Pauline Entwistle, a registered nurse in the critical care unit at Ipswich Hospital, asked Congress to consider whether foundation status is a healthy option for the NHS. Tom Bolger, vice chair of the Suffolk Branch, speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times said, "There is a concern about keeping the focus on what we're really here to do, which is providing nursing and care to the people of the county, rather than meeting foundation trust targets. Many of our members feel that the demands on them to meet targets is such that they don't feel the benefit of the investment in the NHS."