24dash.com, March 22, 2006

A health watchdog has warned that more needs to be done to tackle violence and discrimination against NHS staff.

Despite a drop in the number of workers saying they were abused by patients or their relatives, only half thought their health trust would take "effective action" if staff were physically attacked, an annual staff survey found.

The Healthcare Commission, which carried out the National Survey of NHS Staff, said there were areas where "significant action" was needed, including at a local level, to tackle violence against workers. ... More

News & Star, March 1, 2006

For many nurses, a job in a large NHS hospital can be the stuff of dreams.

A chance to work at the sharp end of healthcare, saving lives, learning new skills, and making a real difference to patients with skill as well as tender loving care.

For managers, staff who are about to leave can give a fascinating insight into their hospital’s performance: an honest view of working life.

Last year 196 nurses, nursing assistants and healthcare assistants left Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary and the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven. Of these 21 filled in an optional exit questionnaires. ... Nursing

Violence against nursing staff is increasing, with 80% of A&E nurses reporting harassment or an assault in the past year, a survey suggests.
BBC News, February 28, 2006

A quarter of the 3,000 nurses surveyed by the Royal College of Nursing said they had been physically attacked.

While almost half of nurses said they had been bullied or harassed, 45% of these by a manager, in the past year.

The Department of Health said there had been a 15-fold increase in prosecutions for attacks on NHS staff. ... Attacks

Emma Brady, Birmingham.co.uk, February 28, 2006

Two thirds of nurses in NHS organisations across the West Midlands say trust deficits are hitting patient services and leading to more redundancies.

A similar number (67 per cent) reported their trust had stopped using nurse bank and agency staff to cover shortages, while a third claimed patient treatments were being delayed in order to save money.

Hospitals across the Midlands, including Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield which faces a £47.5 million deficit, have debts totalling nearly £103 million. ... Cutbacks

Pamela McGowan, News & Star, February 27, 2006

Health chiefs in Cumbria have confirmed that strict new measures are helping them win the war against superbug MRSA.

Nationally, new figures have revealed that the number of deaths linked to the bug rose by almost a quarter, between 2003 and 2004.

But in north Cumbria’s hospitals, there were just 22 cases of MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphlylococcus Aureus) during that period. ... We

Bath Chronicle, February 25, 2006

South West: Nurses could refuse to work beyond their normal hours if the Government pursues plans to award them a pay rise of less than three per cent.

A survey of 1,000 nurses, conducted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), has revealed that around one in three nurses in the south west would consider refusing to accept unpaid overtime.

NHS nurses currently work on average an extra 6.5 hours, on top of their contracted hours, each week without pay. ... Pay

StaffNurse.com, February 22, 2006

Large numbers of nurses would be willing to withdraw "goodwill" from the NHS if their annual pay rise is inadequate, it was claimed today.

The Royal College of Nursing said one in three nurses would consider refusing to do unpaid overtime if their pay rise was less than three per cent.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has pressed for nurses to get just two per cent this year and a decision is due from the pay review body. ... Nurses

Evening Stadard, February 21, 2006

NHS patients could lose out on nursing care if the government refuses to grant nurses a 3% pay award, the Royal College of Nursing has claimed.

According to a survey of over a thousand nurses across the UK, conducted on behalf of the RCN, one in three nurses would consider refusing to accept unpaid overtime if they are given a pay rise of less than three per cent.

NHS nurses work an average of 6.5 unpaid hours each, every week. ... Nurses