Daniel Martin, Daily Mail, April 20, 2010 Health secretary Andy Burnham was today ambushed by an angry hospital worker who accused him of breaking Labour promises to slash the number of bureaucrats in the NHS. Margaret Roberts, who works at Trafford Hospital, castigated Mr Burnham for standing by while chief executives in the NHS enjoyed huge pay rises last year - double that of nurses. Speaking at a conference of the Unison union in Brighton, she told him that staff shortages across the NHS were having a devastating effect on services - with doctors and nurses 'firefighting' to ensure safe care can be assured. ... Burnham

Charlotte Santry, Nursing Times, April 19, 2010 Health secretary Andy Burnham has warned trusts not to use contractual loopholes to pay nurses’ less in response to budget pressures. Mr Burnham was asked at UNISON’s annual health conference what he planned to do about trusts that attempted to make savings through Agenda for Change, for example by downgrading nurses’ job bandings. ... AfC

UKPA, April 15, 2010 A whistleblowing doctor has called for a change in the law to limit the number of patients a nurse should have to care for in hospitals. Dr Milton Pena, who this year publicly criticised patient safety at Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester, spoke out against the workload of nurses across England. The orthopaedic consultant said quality of care deteriorated if nurses were stretched, and hospitals were running a "false economy" if they chose to have a lower nurse-to-patient ratio. ... Patients-to-nurse

Charlotte Santry, Nursing Times, April 14, 2010 The Liberal Democrats have unveiled their election manifesto, pledging to put nurses and other frontline staff in charge of wards or unit budgets, and allowing staff to establish employee trusts - giving them a say over how their service is run. The manifesto also promised to cut “bureaucracy” and allow nurses to spend more time on patient care. It states: “We all know that too much precious NHS money is wasted on bureaucracy, and doctors and nurses spend too much time trying to meet government targets.” ... Lib

A report on boardroom pay reveals that senior managers in the NHS received an average pay rise of 6.9% in the last year. Amelia Hill, Guardian, April 12, 2010 NHS chief executives received a 6.9% average pay increase in the last financial year – more than double that of nurses. Senior managers in NHS trusts typically earned £147,500, according to a new report on boardroom pay. The pay increase comes on top of a rise of 6.4% in 2007-08. The pay hike was greater for chief executives at NHS trusts awarded the so-called "marker of excellence" foundation status: chief executives at these trusts, which have greater financial freedoms on pay, received £10,000 more ... Salary

BBC News, April 12, 2010 Top managers in England's NHS trusts received average pay rises of nearly 7% in 2008-09, compared with less than 3% granted to nurses, a report says. An Incomes Data Services report into boardroom pay at more than 380 trusts found chief executives earned seven times more than the average nurse. Senior managers in NHS trusts typically earned £147,500, the report said. The NHS Confederation said trusts needed top managers to help them through financial challenges. ... NHS

BBC News, October 19, 2009 Four out of 10 nurses say staff shortages compromise patient care at least once a week, according to the Royal College of Nurses. An RCN manifesto to all the political parties says NHS employers must assure themselves they have safe staff levels. The RCN, whose survey covers the views of 9,000 nurses, is warning against job cuts due to possible reduced funding. NHS trusts said managers were increasingly examining their workforces to best use the skills of their staff. ... Nurses

Sanjay Tanday, Independent Nurse, Healthcare Republic, October 19, 2009 One of the UK's leading GPs has called for the expansion of practice nurse roles to enable GPs to offer longer consultations and commission 24-hour care for patients. Speaking at an NHS Confederation conference in London last week, Royal College of GPs chair Professor Steve Field called for nurses to take on many of the tasks that GPs do to improve patient care and free up GP time. ... Top

Helen Mooney, Nursing Times, May 19, 2009 Top-down targets, such as maximum waiting times in A&E, would be dropped under Conservative proposals for the future of nursing. Plans to re-shape the nursing profession were published by the Conservatives last week as part of a wide-ranging consultation on what nursing should look like over the next decade, should the party win the next general election. The document said: ‘It makes no sense that so much of nurses’ time is spent meeting government targets for performing administrative procedures rather than using their initiative and judgement ...' Conservatives

Healthcare Republic, May 18, 2009 Nurses on Agenda for Change will get their expected pay rise this year, Dr Peter Carter has said. In his speech to delegates, the RCN chief executive and general secretary said many nurses 'are worried that the government's giveaways to the banks' would affect the three-year pay deal agreed last year. But health secretary Alan Johnson had promised to stand by the deal, he said. 'Nurses agreed this pays rise, nurses deserve this pay rise and nurses will get this pay rise.' ... RCN

UNISON, July 24, 2008 UNISON today welcomed the findings of a Department of Health report on post-qualification opportunities for nurses, midwives and health visitors. The report, Framing the nursing and midwifery contribution, has been produced by Dame Christine Beasley, the government's chief nursing officer for England, as part of the NHS Next Stage Review. The report outlines a number of aims, including ... UNISON

Pete Magill, This Is Lancashire, August 9, 2007 The threat of a nurses
strike has left a further cloud over the controversial shake-up of East
Lancashire hospital services. For the first time health unions - upset
at a Government decision to introduce their wage rises in two stages -
have threatened to mutiny over pay. An 11th-hour pay offer by Whitehall
could avert the strikes among nurses, health visitors and other NHS
workers. But the possibility of action at what would be a crucial
juncture for the service in East Lancashire has not gone away. ... Hospitals

Kablenet, July 31, 2007 Nurses have strong reservations about the
benefits of electronic patient records, a survey for the Royal College
of Nursing has found. Although the survey, carried out by Medix, found
that two thirds of nurses welcome the introduction of electronic
patient records (EPRs), fewer than one in two felt they would improve
patient safety. Almost a third of those surveyed were uncertain as to
whether EPRs would be more secure than the existing paper based system.
The survey also found that two thirds of respondents have yet to be
consulted about EPRs, while just one in 10 had been consulted "quite a
lot" or "to a great deal". ... Nurses

Guardian, July 16, 2007 Unions began balloting nurses on industrial
action over pay today as a survey revealed strong public backing for
their cause. Three-quarters of people (74%) said they support
industrial action by nurses provided it does not affect patient care,
according to a YouGov survey for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
More than eight in 10 (82%) also believed the pay award for nurses was
unfair. Nurses in England have been offered a pay award of 2.5%
staggered over a year. By staging the increase the government has cut
the value of the award to 1.9%. ... Nurses

John Carvel, Guardian, July 6, 2007 The health secretary, Alan Johnson,
has agreed to urgent talks on nurses' pay to avoid disruptive overtime
bans across the NHS in England, unions said last night. Pressure for a
more generous settlement in England intensified yesterday after the
Welsh assembly agreed a pay increase of 2.5% for all healthcare staff,
backdated to April 1. This brought Wales into line with Scotland. The
Royal College of Nursing is preparing to ballot members on industrial
action this month and the health division of Unison, the public sector
union, has scheduled a ballot for September. ... Johnson