Nursing Times
Dave West

Dave West is the Nursing Times and HSJ senior correspondent. For Nursing Times Dave covers children's nursing, midwifery, practice nursing and nurse prescribing. Over at HSJ, Dave focuses on quality and GP commissioning and consortia.

Lansley outlines new NHS information strategy

21-May-2012
Reducing the amount of paperwork done by midwives and introducing barcode technology in care homes were among the goals set out in the government’s new NHS Information Strategy.
Lansley faces cuts and pensions complaints at RCN congress

14-May-2012
The health secretary fought to rebut complaints about service cuts and damage to pensions in his speech to the Royal College of Nursing annual congress.
Lansley vetoes reform risk register publication

9-May-2012
The government has vetoed the publication of a risk register on the implementation of its NHS reforms, which it had been ordered to publish by an independent tribunal.
Intentional ward rounds need improving, says PM forum lead

2-May-2012
Intentional ward rounds must be carried out hourly and more paperwork should be done by the bedside, according to one of the leads of the prime minister’s nursing forum.
PM's nursing forum launches call for views

30-Apr-2012
The Nursing and Care Quality Forum has launched a call for views from the profession.
Sheffield Children's FT nurse made national RCN lead

24 April 2012
A Sheffield Children’s Foundation Trust nurse has been appointed as a national lead for the Royal College of Nursing.
New CCGs sent signal they should appoint senior nurses

21-Apr-2012
NHS leaders have given the strongest signal yet that clinical commissioning groups should appoint senior and experienced nurses.
Updated: Prime minister names members of nursing quality forum

17-Apr-2012
The prime minister David Cameron has announced the next phase of the Nursing and Care Quality Forum, which he set up to investigate how to improve nursing and care standards. He has named its 22 members.
GP groups must prove they have nursing role

4-Apr-2012
The government’s new GP-led commissioning groups will have to prove they have a nurse on their governing body before taking on their duties, according to documents seen by Nursing Times.
New CNO seeks to 'demonstrate good work' of profession

26-Mar-2012
England’s next chief nursing officer has told Nursing Times she is anxious to “demonstrate the good work that nursing and midwifery does”.
First picture of CCG nursing fuels leadership worries

20 March 2012
Wide variations in the status of nursing in the new NHS have been uncovered by Nursing Times, sparking fresh concerns about the future influence of the profession in England.
New England chief nursing officer named

19-Mar-2012
The NHS Commissioning Board has appointed Jane Cummings as its chief nursing officer. Ms Cummings is currently the nursing director for NHS North of England, and previously for NHS North West.
DH moves to avoid CCG board nurses being token gesture

7-Mar-2012
Clinical commissioning groups have been told by the Department of Health to appoint experienced nurse leaders to their boards in an apparent attempt to head off attempts by GPs to view the position as a token gesture.
College warns government over ‘more midwives’ claim

23-Feb-2012
The Royal College of Midwives has said the government is still falling short of its commitment to increase numbers, despite evidence of some growth.
Peter Carter: Coalition MPs could turn against health bill

23-Feb-2012
The Royal College of Nursing’s chief executive has said the government’s health bill can still be defeated, even though the prime minister has reiterated his support for the reforms.
PM reveals government's four NHS commitments

21-Feb-2012
The prime minister has revealed “four Fs” which he believes sum up the government’s approach to the NHS. They came while he attempted to bat off criticism of the Health Bill at a Downing Street summit yesterday.
RCN excluded from prime minister's NHS reform summit

20-Feb-2012
The Royal College of Nursing has been excluded from a summit called by the prime minister to discuss NHS reform.
Nurses back collection of extra admission data

20-Feb-2012
Senior nurses are calling for hospitals to record additional care quality information when patients are admitted in order to flag potential problems in other parts of the care system.
RCN: CCGs should not appoint inexperienced nurses to board roles

8-Feb-2012
Nurses selected to sit on the boards of clinical commissioning groups must have “significant experience” of the whole healthcare system and “proven managerial capability”, according to guidance due to be published by the Royal College of Nursing.
RCN and CQC back call to improve patient admission data

7-Feb-2012
The Royal College of Nursing is among the organisations backing a campaign for hospitals to routinely record simple care information when a patient is admitted, such as the presence of a pressure ulcer.
Chief nurse steps into leadership breach at struggling trust

6-Feb-2012
The chief nurse at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust has taken over the running of the organisation until the end of the last following the resignation of its chief executive.
Ministers announce further amendments to health bill

2-Feb-2012
The government has tabled further amendments to its controversial plans for NHS reform as it pushes for Parliament to pass the health and social care bill.
RCM: closure of Yorkshire midwife-led centre 'disappointing'

2-Feb-2012
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has announced it will permanently close its Jubilee Birth Centre at Castle Hill Hospital, centralising all maternity services at its Hull Royal Infirmary site.
Mid Staffs findings will 'blow the lid' on older patient care, says tsar

2-Feb-2012
The government’s advisor on elderly care has warned the public inquiry into events at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust will “blow the lid” on the need to improve care in hospitals.
RCN warns Lansley of nurse backlash but chance of anti bill consensus recedes

27-Jan-2012
The Royal College of Nursing has rejected suggestions it has weakened its opposition to the health bill, despite the apparent failure of the royal colleges to agree a consensus at the end of last week.
Chief midwife brands Lansley's comments 'below the belt'

26-Jan-2012
The chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives has hit back at the health secretary over claims that clinicians were opposing the government’s health bill because of concerns about pensions.
MPs: NHS could miss savings target from 'salami slicing'

24-Jan-2012
The NHS has been making “short-term” and “salami slicing” spending cuts and will not make required efficiency savings if the current approach continues, the House of Commons health committee has said.
Voluntary HCA plan could lead to 'formal regulation', says Mid Staffs group

24 January 2012
Voluntary healthcare assistant regulation could be a “building block” towards a compulsory system, according to a report expected to influence the findings of the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust Public Inquiry.
Words strong but action vague in PM plan

17 January 2012
In a high profile announcement earlier this month David Cameron set out plans to address poor nursing standards, the first time he has intervened on policy specifically on the profession.
PM's forum should look at staffing and not 'beat up' nurses, says its chair

16-Jan-2012
The chair of the review of nursing and care standards announced by the prime minister has said it should address staffing issues and not “beat up” professionals.
Pharmacists overruling nurse prescribers 'poses safety risk'

13-Jan-2012
Nurse prescribers could have their decisions overruled by pharmacists, posing a potential safety risk to patients, under latest proposals.
Cameron told nursing review 'must look at staffing'

9-Jan-2012
The prime minister’s new “nursing forum” must include the impact of staffing levels in its review of care standards, according to nurse leaders.
PM orders regular ward rounds, nurse leadership and reduced bureaucracy

5-Jan-2012
David Cameron today called for wider uptake of intentional nursing rounds and reduced bureaucracy, and established a nurse review group to address concerns about NHS care standards.
Nurses from EU could be subject to extra checks

20-Dec-2011
The European Union is considering a “warning system” for overseas health workers who have been struck off or suspended, and greater language tests.
Heather Mcnair appointed chief nurse at Barnsley Hospital

16-Dec-2011
Heather Mcnair has been appointed chief nurse at Barnsley Hospital Foundation Trust.
Cost of rising emergency dementia admissions revealed

13-Dec-2011
There has been a 12% growth over five years in the number of people with dementia admitted to hospital as an emergency, according to a report published this week.
NHS expected to have 50 'branch' chief nurses

13 December 2011
There will be around 50 regional senior nurses running branches of the new NHS Commissioning Board, Nursing Times understands.
NHS Atlas highlights specialist nurse role in improving care and saving cash

12-Dec-2011
Specialist nurses have been presented as a solution to huge variations in the quality of some NHS care by a new Department of Health publication.
Warning over status of nurses involved in NHS commissioning

29-Nov-2011
Nurses involved in emerging clinical commissioning groups are being given little time and support and are being paid less than GP peers, according to an authoratative report published today.
Shift to midwife-led units plus HCAs could ease staff shortage

26-Nov-2011
The growing number and complexity of births must be met with more training, more support workers and more midwife-led services, the Royal College of Midwives has said.
Evidence backs safety and cost effectiveness of midwife-led units

25-Nov-2011
Midwives have called for greater choice in maternity services in response to a landmark study showing births outside obstetrics are safe and require fewer interventions.
Doctor numbers rise while 'serious shortage' in nursing looms

22 November 2011
Latest workforce figures seen by Nursing Times reveal a plunge in nurse numbers while doctors continue to increase, sparking claims that the NHS is becoming “over doctored” at the expense of nursing.
Lansley: nurse led inspections critical to CQC

21-Nov-2011
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has said the Care Quality Commission will continue “nurse led inspections” next year, as part of its “proactive and tough” regulation regime for care providers.
Exclusive: Lansley on the CQC, integration the reform risk register and commissioning

16-Nov-2011
Andrew Lansley has told Nursing Times’ sister journal, HSJ, the Care Quality Commission is now running a “proactive and tough” inspection regime and revealed he does not favour further reorganisation of NHS regulation.
Commissioning leaders admit uncertainty about nurse role

15-Nov-2011
GP commissioners have admitted continuing uncertainty about the role of nurses on clinical commissioning groups.
Government ad for chief national nurse job renews concern over influence

28-Oct-2011
The Department of Health’s job advert for its most senior nurse has renewed concern over the profession losing influence at the top of government.
Gulf in skill mix between hospital trusts revealed

25 October 2011
Figures shared with Nursing Times reveal the gulf in skill mix between different hospital trusts and regions.
Pressure on midwives threatens choice policy

4 October 2011
Midwives are increasingly under pressure and having to cut home birth services, apparently because of funding cuts, a survey shows.
Health ministers voice support for specialist nursing

September
Health ministers have thrown their support behind specialist nurses, in the face of concern about their falling numbers.
Minister: CCG nurse must not be corporate 'fig leaf'

27 September 2011
Nurses sitting on GP commissioners’ governing bodies should be active decision makers and not merely provide a “fig leaf of involvement”, a health minister has said.
Unions may call on members to resist reforms through 'non-cooperation'

19-Sep-2011
Unions may consider non-cooperation action against the government’s NHS reforms, a midwife leader has said.
CCGs seek Department of Health help to find nurses

19-Sep-2011
Emerging clinical commissioning groups have sought Department of Health help to appoint the nurses who are required to sit on their boards, Nursing Times has been told.
Anger following attack on chief nurse role

16-Aug-2011
Nurses are demanding the role of chief nursing officer for England – the most senior representative of the profession – is protected after it emerged it faces being scrapped or “diluted” by the government.
Chief nurse role downgraded in DH structure plan

8-Aug-2011
The role of England’s most senior nurse has been downgraded in plans for a new Department of Health structure, sparking concern about loss of influence.
Nurses 'bemused' by doctors' resistance to decision aids

2-Aug-2011
The first evaluation of an NHS programme to spread joint decision making with patients has found nurses more open to the approach than doctors.
Providers failing to report on nurse-led quality priority

1-Aug-2011
Dozens of hospitals, most of them run by the independent sector, have been criticised by the NHS medical director after failing to report information against a nurse-led quality priority.
A nurse will be one of five leaders of new NHS Commissioning Board

12 July 2011
A nursing director will be one of five executive board directors at the NHS Commissioning Board, the new body which will oversee much of the health service from October.
Doctors back healthcare assistant regulation

4-Jul-2011
Doctors’ representatives have backed a call for the regulation of healthcare assistants as part of a drive to ensure health services are “properly regulated”.
Hospice wards 'better staffed and better quality'

4-Jul-2011
Hospice wards are better staffed than NHS palliative care wards and provide better quality care, at a higher cost, according to research shared with Nursing Times.
Advanced nurse training needed to carry NHS reforms, says expert

13-Jun-2011
Nurses will require more advanced specialist training under a reformed NHS in which patients are increasingly treated outside of hospital, according to two key expert bodies.
Investing in primary care nurses improves practice clinical quality

7-Jun-2011
GP practices that employ more nurses and invest strongly in their training and education tend to provide better care, according to analysis of data exclusively shared with Nursing Times.
Nurses may sit on 'clinical cabinets' to advise GP groups

31-May-2011
The government may seek to involve nurses in commissioning by setting up local “clinical cabinets” to advise GP consortia, it has emerged.
Reform delay leaves nurses in limbo

31 May 2011
The government looks likely to leave nurses and the rest of the NHS workforce in limbo as its health reforms face further significant delays.
RCN attacks GP commissioners for appointing wives as nursing representatives

24 May 2011
A senior nursing leader has accused some GPs involved in setting up commissioning groups of “nepotism”, claiming they have appointed their practice nurse wives to decision-making posts.
Major study acclaims nurse prescribing success

17-May-2011
Have you trained as an independent nurse prescriber?
Reform slowdown could stop erosion of nurse influence

17 May 2011
Further political pressure on government plans for a comprehensive transfer of NHS decision making powers to GP led consortia could help salvage the formal role of nurses in commissioning.
NHS boss says nursing directors must back cuts

19 April 2011
The NHS chief executive is tying nursing directors to controversial staff cuts by saying they must sign all such savings plans.
Three nurses to sit on health bill review panel

13-Apr-2011
The 40 members of the government’s NHS Future Forum, which is carrying out an independent review the Health Bill in response to concerns about the policy, have been announced.
Pressure builds on government over nursing involvement in reforms

12 April 2011
Nursing has moved a significant step closer to winning the battle for formal involvement in future NHS decision making this week, after strong signals the government will change its mind about GP domination of commissioning.
Former nurse to sit on government's reform advisory panel

6-Apr-2011
Julie Moore, chief executive University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust and a former nurse, will sit on the government’s new panel to advise on its reforms, Nursing Times understands.
Nurse director exodus threatens leadership vacuum

8 March 2011
An exodus of senior nurses from key local NHS commissioning roles is taking place, which threatens to create a leadership vacuum, Nursing Times has been warned.
Dame Christine likely to stay on until summer

1 March 2011
Dame Christine Beasley’s term as chief nursing officer is likely to be extended until the summer, when a senior nurse will be appointed to the NHS Commissioning Board, Nursing Times has learnt.
NHS South West: warning system for ward managers

22 February 2011
Nursing directors in the South West have developed a scoring system to highlight wards or clinical teams, which may be about to repeat the failings seen at Mid Staffordshire.
North East nurses demand seats on consortia boards

1 February 2011
Nurses in the North East are writing to GP commissioning consortia in their region to demand seats on their boards.
Government confirms not increasing midwife recruitment target

1 February 2011
The government has confirmed it has not set a target to increase midwife numbers by 3,000, despite a promise to do so by prime minister David Cameron in the run up to the election last year.
MPs show support for NT campaign on nurse commissioning

21-Jan-2011
An influential group of MPs are planning to investigate whether GP commissioning consortia should have to have nurses on their board.
DH reproached over surveying bereaved

11 January 2011
The Department of Health risks sidelining dying people by opting to survey bereaved relatives about care, instead of the patients themselves, a nursing academic has said.
Nursing metric used for post surgery deaths

7 December 2010
A death rate indicator closely related to quality of nursing care and nurse numbers has highlighted four hospital trusts with higher than expected mortality.
NMC investigates nurse papers left on train

7 December 2010
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has launched an investigation after one of its fitness to practise panel chairs left case papers on the train.
Trusts shed light on C-section rise

30 November 2010
A groundbreaking project is shedding light on how midwives can start to stem the increase in Caesarean sections.
Advanced nurses get standards but still wait for regulation

23 November 2010
Patient safety concerns have pushed the government into publishing the first set of standards for advanced nurse practitioners.
More attacks on handing maternity to GPs

16 November 2010
Doctors’ groups have joined midwives in opposing a government U-turn that would see control of maternity services handed to GPs, warning such a move would lead to a fragmented service and a potential postcode lottery.
CNO role may face axe

9 November 2010
Nurses are calling on the government to retain the chief nursing officer role amid fears it will be removed or diminished when Dame Christine Beasley retires.
Government backtracks to hand maternity to GPs

8-Nov-2010
The government is preparing to perform a U-turn on its decision to plan and fund maternity nationally and instead hand responsibility to GPs, Nursing Times has learned.
Tragedy puts skills deficit in the spotlight

2 November 2010
The case of an agency nurse mistakenly turning off a disabled patient’s ventilator is symptomatic of the increasing dilution of skills in overstretched community nurse teams, senior nurses have warned.
Patients want choice of nurse, says RCN

26 October 2010
The government’s planned extension of patient choice should be based on information about the quality of nursing as well as medical care, the Royal College of Nursing has said.
Government drops one-on-one cancer nurse plan

20-Oct-2010
Plans made under Labour to improve cancer services and provide free prescriptions for people with long term conditions have been abandoned by the government, it has confirmed.
Bonfire of acute nursing posts as care in hospital is run down

12 October 2010
The first analysis of local NHS plans to save huge amounts of money in the next four years, confirms there will be large cuts in jobs for hospital nurses.
‘Never events’ reported to patient safety agency exceed 100 in one year

12 October 2010
More than 100 “never events” - serious preventable safety errors - were reported to the National Patient Safety Agency last year, the organisation has said.
Hospital bed transfers put thousands of patients at risk of infection

5 October 2010
Hundreds of thousands of hospital patients are being moved from one hospital ward to another with no clinical justification and risking the spread of infection, evidence collected by Nursing Times suggests.
Half of hospital trusts cannot report patient transfer data

5 October 2010
Fewer than half of hospital trusts collect and report information on the number of times patients are transferred around hospital.
Troubled hospital makes patient bed transfers a priority

5 October 2010
A trust that has faced serious questions about care quality in the past year is focusing on monitoring and reducing transfers to improve safety.
Nurses' surgery advice to help save £150m a year

28 September 2010
Nurses could save £150m a year by helping patients to make better decisions about elective procedures, according to research seen exclusively by Nursing Times.
Nurse leaders hope for greater workforce planning role

28 September 2010
Nurses may seize a greater role in deciding the size of the NHS workforce and staff roles under the government’s health reforms.
CQC gives nearly-all-clear to troubled foundation trust

24-Sep-2010
The Care Quality Commission has lifted two of three conditions on the licence of Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust.
Fast track training needed to hit health visitor target

14 September 2010
The government is considering fast tracking health visitor training in a bid to meet its pledge to employ an extra 4,200 health visitors by 2015, Nursing Times has learnt.
Death rate indicator under review

14 September 2010
The Department of Health is struggling to reform a controversial quality indicator that has played a role in identifying hospitals with poor nursing standards.
Nurses risk registration by breaching rules for Botox

31 August 2010
Hundreds of nurses are risking their registration by bending prescribing rules to deliver facelifts on the cheap, Nursing Times has discovered.
Nurse directors stick to ‘scrapped’ targets

24 August 2010
Nursing directors have said they plan to maintain performance against high profile waiting time targets, despite the new government’s decision to scrap or revise them.
New Mid Staffs nurse director vows never again

10 August 2010
Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust’s new nursing director has said he is adamant he “cannot let the past re-emerge” and will hold staff to account if they do not meet care standards.
Private patients in NHS hospitals 'galling' for nurses

10 August 2010
Expanding private healthcare in NHS hospitals could be “galling” for nurses and lead to conflict, a union leader has warned.
Midwife networks could improve patient choice

3 August 2010
Midwives could be transferred from their hospital trusts to work for new maternity networks under plans being examined by the Department of Health.
High impact action scores may not be collected

27 July 2010
Hospitals may not be able to compare how well they are implementing the high impact nursing actions because the Department of Health is worried about collecting too much information.
Fears over skill mix as trusts force senior midwives into lower bands

27 July 2010
A number of hospitals across the country are forcing senior midwives into lower paid roles to cut costs.
CNO tells nurses to carve out a role in GP-led NHS

20 July 2010
The GP led groups set to take over the bulk of NHS decision making must be monitored for how well they are involving nurses - but it will also be up to the profession to make its voice heard, the chief nursing officer for England has told Nursing Times.
IT system to check nurses' observation practice

13 July 2010
A hospital trust in Birmingham is to use an IT system to identify where nurses are not carrying out patient observations properly.
Move to halt plans for ‘baby factories’ welcomed by midwives

13 July 2010
Midwifery leaders have welcomed government moves away from the centralisation of maternity units into large “baby factories”.
Sidelining nurses 'bad for commissioning'

22 June 2010
There are fears nurses’ fledgling role in NHS commissioning could be sidelined by moves to put GPs in charge.
Nurses 'should nag' for electronic patient records

22 June 2010
Hospital nurses should “nag” their employers to adopt modern IT systems more quickly, according to a sister at a trust which has been using such technology for the last six months.
Lansley hospital penality plan could boost community nurses

15 June 2010
Government plans to effectively penalise hospitals if patients have to return as an emergency shortly after discharge needs to be back up with more investment in community nursing, nurse leaders have said.
Lansley against legal duty of candour

11-Jun-2010
Nurses should not be legally bound to own up and inform their patient if they make a treatment error, the new health secretary has said.
New nurse director at Mid Staffs

11-Jun-2010
Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has recruited a new nursing director.
Government to prioritise patient satisfaction with nursing care

1 June 2010
How patients rate their nursing care is likely to be made a high priority by the new government, Nursing Times understands.
Nursing vacancies drop by a third

25 May 2010
Nursing vacancies have plummeted by nearly a third since last summer, figures collated by Nursing Times reveal.
Last offices neglected in over half of hospital deaths

11 May 2010
A dearth of training and guidance means nurses are failing to follow “last offices”, the simple procedures for treating dead patients with dignity and respect, a Nursing Times investigation has found.
PM's commissioner begins review of specialist nurse roles

11 May 2010
A former member of the Prime Minister’s Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery has said she will start reducing the number of specialist nurse roles at her trust.
Asthma and back pain 'lost out in policy'

27-Apr-2010
NHS policy has been unjustly neglecting conditions including asthma and back pain, analysis for the Department of Health has found.
Midwives themselves are barrier to reducing C-sections

13 April 2010
Many midwives remain unconvinced of the need to reduce Caesarean section rates, the general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives has warned.
Nurses should work with patients to challenge cuts and poor care

13 April 2010
Frontline nurses should build relationships with patient and public involvement groups to try and prevent poor care and badly planned staff cuts, according to nursing leaders.
Crucifix row nurse loses tribunal

6-Apr-2010
A Christian nurse who refused to remove a crucifix at work has lost her discrimination claim against Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust.
First national nursing outcome measures revealed

6 April 2010
England’s first set of national outcome indicators specifically related to nursing care will measure performance on pressure ulcers, falls and urinary tract infections, Nursing Times has learned.
NMC considers how to be 'proactive' on failing trusts

6 April 2010
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has begun a review of how it should respond to apparent “systemic” failings in care.
Hospital nurses 'ready to move into community'

30 March 2010
Hospital nurses are prepared to move into community jobs but trusts need to work together to retrain them and arrange the transfers, Unison has said.
Services better at trusts with the happiest nurses

23 March 2010
Detailed figures on nurse job satisfaction - published for the first time by Nursing Times - illustrate how closely it is linked with quality of care.
NMC will not take action against Basildon nurses

16-Mar-2010
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has decided to take no fitness to practice cases against nurses and midwives at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital Foundation Trust following a special review at the trust.
Beds in cupboards prompts political outcry

16 March 2010
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have said it is unacceptable that nurses are being forced to treat patients in non clinical areas in order to meet targets, following a major Nursing Times survey.
Senior nurses must engage 'generation Y' on productivity

16 March 2010
Directors of nursing must win the “hearts and minds” of frontline staff to boost productivity and avoid cuts, according to one of the country’s most senior nurses.
Standard checklist for emergency patients to be introduced

16 March 2010
Nurses will have to follow a standard list of clinical checks for all NHS hospital emergency patients, under plans being developed by the Department of Health.
Trust defends use of extra beds in full wards

9 March 2010
Royal Bournemouth Hospital & Christchurch Hospitals Foundation Trust has justified its policy of putting patients in wards which are already full, after Nursing Times received a complaint that the practice was unsafe.
Nurses at risk of 'compassion fatigue'

9 March 2010
Being asked to treat patients in unsuitable conditions could make nurses desensitised to poor care, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.
'Full' hospitals treating patients in non-clinical areas

9 March 2010
Patients are routinely being treated in areas of hospitals not designed for care, a Nursing Times survey has revealed.
Mid Staffs is 'warning bell' to nurse leaders, says former nurse chair

2-Mar-2010
The former nurse who is now chair of Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has said the care scandal at the trust should be a “warning bell” to nurse leaders.
Directors of nursing still neglecting frontline care

2 March 2010
Some nursing directors are still shirking responsibility for front line care, the new chief nurse at scandal-hit Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has warned.
2020 degree target not 'meaningful'

23 February 2010
A requirement for all nurse leaders and specialists to have degrees by 2020 risks not being “meaningful”, senior nurses have said.
Cash cuts will mean 'pressure to move between wards'

23 February 2010
NHS spending cuts are likely to mean nurses come under pressure to move between wards more often, a nursing workforce expert has predicted.
Quality programme to highlight understaffed wards

16 February 2010
A major nursing improvement programme, due to be launched during the spring, is expected to reveal many general and geriatric hospital wards are under-nursed while other areas have too many.
Staff and patient experience 'closely linked'

16 February 2010
Where nurses are happy so are their patients, suggests research published by the Department of Health, which found staff experience was “closely linked” to good patient experience.
Outer London faces nurse recruitment trouble

9 February 2010
Renewed efforts to cut the use of agency nurses are being hampered by problems recruiting permanent staff in and around London, senior nurses have warned.
NHS cost-cutting will mean more nurse prescribing

2 February 2010
Efforts to cut costs in the NHS will require a significant extension of nurse prescribing, one of the NHS quality and productivity leads has said.
NMC launches pre-reg education consultation

29-Jan-2010
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has launched a major consultation on the future of pre-registration education.
Nurses 'must speed up productivity improvements'

26 January 2010
Ward managers and team leaders will be asked to accelerate the adoption of initiatives to increase productivity, as part of the efforts to significantly cut costs in the NHS.
Profession divided over long shift benefits

26 January 2010
Frontline nurses are divided over whether long or short shifts are better for patients and staff.
Nurses must be more efficient, says NHS director

15-Jan-2010
Nurses need to increase their working efficiency more quickly than has been seen in recent years, the NHS national director for improvement and efficiency has said.
Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson resigns

15-Dec-2009
Chief medical officer for England Sir Liam Donaldson is to step down in May after 12 years in the post.
NMC chief pledges to crack down on poor nursing practice

15 December 2009
The NMC will take a “proactive” hard line against nurses and nurse leaders who neglect patient care, the regulator’s new chief executive has told Nursing Times.
Basildon chief nurse: staff did not raise failings

8 December 2009
Unsafe conditions uncovered by inspections at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust should have been reported by staff, the trust’s nursing director has said.
Community nurse 'anger' over swine flu vaccinations

8 December 2009
Already pressurised community nurses are having to vaccinate housebound patients against swine flu without any extra resources.
NMC considers action against nurses as trust admits 'embarrassing' care failures

3-Dec-2009
The Nursing and Midwifery Council is considering action against nurses and nurse leaders at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust in response to reports of poor care standards.
Hospital payments to be linked to nursing indicators

1 December 2009
All English hospitals may face fines from next year if they fail to improve against indicators of nursing quality.
New recruits lack basic skills says trust nursing director

1 December 2009
The nursing director of one of the largest trusts in England has called into question education standards around basic nursing care.
All-graduate detractors branded sexist

17 November 2009
Health minister Ann Keen has accused media commentators of sexism following media coverage about nursing becoming a graduate-only entry profession.
All-graduate nursing debate hots up as minister accuses detractors of sexism

13-Nov-2009
Health minister Ann Keen has accused media commentators of sexism following yesterday’s coverage about nursing becoming a all-graduate profession.
Nursing directors confident during financial cuts

10 November 2009
More than half of nursing directors are “cautiously optimistic” they can protect the quality of nursing in the face of the financial cuts to come, according to a Nursing Times survey.
Government in the dark on uptake of swine flu vaccine

8-Nov-2009
The Department of Health has admitted that it has no national data on uptake of swine flu vaccine among frontline hospital staff.
Poor observation skills are risking patients' lives

13 October 2009
Patients’ lives are being put at risk because of poor practice in basic patient observations, Nursing Times can reveal.
NMC attacks 'vast inconsistency' of nurse whistleblowing

8-Oct-2009
Nurses and midwives are not reporting poor care because of bad whistleblowing procedures, the NMC has said.
Midwives to take 'far more central role'

6 October 2009
Midwives must “play a far more central role” in maternity care, according to a government report on the future of the profession.
NMC under fire for lack of support on swine flu surge

6 October 2009
Senior nurse leaders fear staff will refuse to work outside their normal area of practice during a swine flu surge because of the “extremely unhelpful” approach of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
RCN Wales report calls for more emergency nurse practitioners

30-Sep-2009
The Royal College of Nursing in Wales has called for an increase in nurse practitioners and prescribers in emergency care.
Protein can predict prostate cancer survival at diagnosis

23-Sep-2009
The presence of a protein can be used to predict survival from prostate cancer at diagnosis, a study has found.
Nurses 'must engage with new patient outcome results'

22 September 2009
Nurses should use new patient outcome data to improve practice, academics have said.
Midwives leaders hail evidence of funding boost

15 September 2009
Maternity services in England are expected to see a large increase in investment this year, according to research by the Royal College of Midwives.
NMC cases speeding up despite IT delays

15 September 2009
The Nursing and Midwifery Council is cutting the time it takes to complete fitness to practice cases, despite delays in introducing a new computer system.
Maternity units join forces to improve safety

10-Sep-2009
Maternity teams at 12 hospital trusts have formed a network to improve the safety of their services.
C diff inquiry will examine hospital management and clinical response

7-Sep-2009
The remit has been set for a public inquiry into C difficile deaths at a hospital in Scotland.
Mental health killings spark calls for communication improvements

4-Sep-2009
Reports into the killing of two people by a man with schizophrenia have sparked calls for better sharing of information in management of mental health patients.
Nurse leaders question Patients' Rights Bill

4-Sep-2009
Nurse leaders have questioned Scottish government proposals to introduce a Patients’ Rights Bill early next year.
NHS could cut 6,500 nurse jobs as recession bites

1 September 2009
The number of nurses in England will be cut by more than 6,500 in the next three years, according to one of the first estimates of how the recession will affect jobs in the NHS.
Single renal network to be set up for Wales

26-Aug-2009
A single organisation is being set up to manage kidney services across Wales.
Maternity safety 'suffers from lack of staff'

25-Aug-2009
A lack of staff, leadership and communication are making it difficult to improve the safety of maternity services, senior midwives have reported.
C difficile and MRSA related deaths fall

19-Aug-2009
The number of deaths in England and Wales for which C difficile or MRSA were recorded as a contributory factor fell sharply between 2007 and 2008.
NHS begins calling on retired nurses to help tackle swine flu

7-Aug-2009
The NHS has begun approaching retired doctors, nurses and other staff to work if the swine flu pandemic gets worse.
Nurses quietly confident as NHS battles swine flu pandemic

22-Jul-2009
Nurses and staff are confident the NHS is coping successfully with swine flu, an exclusive survey by Nursing Times and the Health Service Journal reveals.
Swine flu to hit 12% of NHS staff

17-Jul-2009
The health service has been told to prepare for up to 8% of the population suffering from swine flu at any one time - and up to 12% of the NHS workforce.

Nursing TimesDave West

Nursing Times
Dave West