Heart Beat

September 19 – Nurses working long shifts should be encourage to take power naps, senior professionals warn today. Shifts of up to 12 hours are becoming popular with some employers and some nurses. But concerns about the effect on nurses’ performance has led the Royal College of Nursing to develop new guidance on shift patterns. This will include [...]

September 17 – Some mentors are giving a pass to nursing students even though they believe they should fail, according to a study in Scotland. The findings raise concerns about the readiness of some nursing graduates to work in the profession. Writing in the journal Nursing Management, researchers call on nurse training colleges to improve [...]

September 4 – Nurses are to launch a new drive to change public attitudes to their profession, it was announced yesterday.  The Royal College of Nursing is hoping its new project will help the public understand the work of a modern professional nurse. It says nursing is a “highly skilled and caring role” and a [...]

August 31 – New school students are to get special briefings on the role of the school nurse next month, it has been announced. A government campaign will seek to raise the profile of school nurses and encourage pupils to use their services. The work is being targeted at secondary school pupils on the brink [...]

August 28 – A third-generation nurse is playing a key role in improving care in local care homes. Kai Brownhill is touring homes in Lincolnshire teaching staff about how to prevent falls and about key nursing issues such as pressure sore awareness and continence support. He has now been listed as a finalist in the [...]

August 22 – Many UK nurses are losing their financial support after becoming unable to work due to ill-health or disability, it is claimed today. According to Nursing Standard, a large number of nurses are seeking advice on their entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) following “fit for work” assessment tests run by the [...]

So we aren’t happy all of the time in our nursing jobs, the same with any job. Some people decide that they want to pursue a new career and others say they could not possibly do anything else. Heart Beat has discovered a few people who decided to take the jump from nursing into a [...]

August 8 – Some 11 members of staff at a scandal plagued care home have admitted a series of offences at Bristol Crown Court. The 11 former workers at the Winterbourne View Care Home admitted some 40 charges of abuse and neglect of residents with learning disabilities. The admissions triggered the publication of a series [...]

August 7 – The nursing regulator has been told to call in external auditors as complaints mounted about proposals for a 60 per cent hike in registration fees. Nursing unions won backing from health secretary Andrew Lansley yesterday as he fired off a letter to the troubled Nursing and Midwifery Council demanding a rethink. The [...]

August 6 – It may only pay £16,500 a year but a new nursing job may offer a dream post for someone who likes mixing with celebrities. The nurse is wanted to work at Windsor Castle with the Royal family and their staff and guests. The Queen has taken the ‘unusual’ step of advertising the [...]