Taking effect from April 2017, health professionals will be asked to check upon arrival that patients admitted are UK citizens. Plans announced by health secretary, Jeremy Hunt state that patients who are not UK citizens will be charged upfront unless their care is urgent and must be treated immediately. The latter will be invoiced later.

Hunt’s plans are set up as a way of trying to regain the £500 million cost of treating oversea patients and hopes the new measures in place will recover costs by 2017-18. The move was put in motion after an unfavourable report from the Commons public accounts committee.

Evan Luckes, a nurse who wrote an opinion piece for the independent stated it was unfair to put patients against nurses and create the persona that nurses should be feared and be the barrier between receiving treatment.  He has further called on nurses to take a stand and make it clear to not check passports and support one another, which no doubt will create a backlash from management.

Docs not Cops a NHS Staff and patient activist group have been campaigning against these changes as they strongly believe that everyone has the right to access healthcare, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay. A relationship between a doctor or health professional and patient is relied upon trust and respect. Having passport checks to check eligibility breaks this trust and potentially goes against the basis of the NHS. “The National Health Service was built on the principle that healthcare is a right not a privilege” with this in mind a number of NHS staff and patients are fighting this core principle remains.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with Hunt that it is an effective way to recover costs or should the government look at other ways to recover these costs?

Tweet us @nursepersonnel or leave a message on our Facebook page.

Available to work this Bank Holiday Weekend?

Make the most of our enhanced rates

Don’t forget we can place you across the country with the flexibility to choose shifts that suit your lifestyle. Book one or two shifts a week or block book for the week ahead. Update your availability now via the MPP App, online portal or calling us directly on 0333 043 6779

MPP App Promotion: 5 Chances to win £100. Book shifts through the MPP App to win. *Subject to T&C’s

Do you want to be in with the chance to win £100 cash prize? 

Throughout the Easter Break Nursing Personnel are running a special promotion in connection with our MPP App. 

We are giving you 5 chances to win £100 to enter all you need to do is download our FREE MPP APP and book shifts. The MPP App is available on both iOS & android

The 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th and 500th shift booked through the MPP APP wins £100 cash prize.

Terms & conditions:

• Promotion runs from Friday 7th April through till Friday 21st April 2017
• Only shifts booked and confirmed via the MPP App are applicable
• You must attend shift booked. If you are the 100th shift booked and cancel on your own accord your prize will be forfeited
• Cash bonuses will be sent at the end of the promotional period
• If you enter you give us permission to publish your first name and county on our website and/or social media sites.

Download the FREE MPP APP now 

NHS Improvement originally sent a letter to NHS trusts on 27^th February 2017 stating ‘From 1^st April 2017 trusts should not be using agencies to employ individuals who are substantively employed elsewhere in the NHS.’ A day before this was meant to go into effect NHS England made a stark U-turn and axed its plans to bring in the ban on nurses taking extra agency shifts in other NHS trusts.

Jim Mackey the chief executive of NHS Improvement announced the U-turn following a campaign by Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and its members. Mackey and general secretary Janet Davies’s letter to the RCN said ‘The instruction has caused uncertainty for providers, and created challenges for some of your members. This was not my intention and I can confirm that NHS Improvement is pausing until further notice.’

The plans are currently on hold until further notice.

The RCN had warned that if the ban had gone ahead it would have forced NHS staff into the private sector as earnings would have potentially dropped by £1,150 per year on average. During the campaign the NHS were informing nurses to join in house ‘banks’ but NHS banks pay at least 20% less per hour than agencies for the same shift.

Janet Davies agreed against the ban and said ‘This was an ill- conceived plan by NHS Improvement and today’s U-turn will be welcomed by nursing staff across the country. It is right to withdraw it and we will be seeking urgent meetings before any further plans are drawn up.’

With 24,000 jobs currently unfilled in England alone, and Article 50 finally being triggered. Can the NHS really afford to lose nurses from the European Union?

Since Brexit was announced on 23^rd June 2016 it has slowly been causing ripples within the NHS. The Times recently reported that between September and December 2015 an average of 797 nurses per month registered to work in the UK, yet in the same period in 2016 the number fell dramatically to 194 nurses per month. With uncertainty for European residents it is no wonder nurses from the EU are much less keen to want to both work and stay in the UK.

The shortfall of nurses can be found in hospitals across the country with pressures being placed on all aspects of the NHS, this has been a long running issue and can be blamed on both Brexit and the failure to long term plan. Further to this, matters don’t approve when an introduction of loans instead of bursaries for nurse training was announced resulting in a 23% drop in applications. To plug the gap approximately 7% nurses were recruited from the EU but that gap could disappear as EU nationals are stuck in limbo as Theresa May has refused to guarantee EU nationals the right to stay.

Chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing said, “The government is turning off the supply of qualified nurses from around the world at the very moment the health service is a staffing crisis like never before.” “EU nationals working in the NHS need a clear signal from Theresa May that they are wanted and welcome to stay. Her failure to guarantee their right to remain is leaving soaring numbers heading for the door. Few are able to live with such uncertainty.”

Nursing Personnel provide flexible temporary and permanent work for a variety of locations across the UK. Working for an agency allows you the flexibility to work for the NHS whilst working around your personal life. Register today to start receiving both great benefits and competitive hourly rates. *Applicants must have a minimum of 6months experience and the correct right to work documents.

Please note that due to the tax year end, related software update and the Easter Bank Holidays we have amended some of our April pay dates as follows:

Normal payroll processing will resume after the Easter weekend:

This week we celebrated National Patient Safety Week and the importance in ensuring that patient safety should be the first and foremost agenda on everyone’s mind. As healthcare professionals it is vital that you take the necessary steps in preventing accidents and be that barrier against harm.

In support of Patient Safety Week our lovely team of Clinical Nurse interviewers took time out of their busy interview schedule to put on patient gowns and promote patient safety.

We are excited to announce that Nursing Personnel have recently been awarded a number of new trusts in Wales!

So what does this mean for you?

• Better paid hourly rates
• Broad range of shifts including nights, days and weekends
• Work available for Nurses and Healthcare assistants

Why work in Wales?

“Find your epic…deep in the soul of Wales”  with work available across the welsh region there is number of areas to discover and explore whilst you work. Wales is full of natural beauty from valleys, hills and coasts so when you’re not working a shift there is plenty to keep you entertained.

Interested?

Contact your coordinator on 0333 043 6779 today to discuss relocating, rates or booking shifts. If you are not registered with Nursing Personnel please register here .

There has been a steady increase in the number of reports of FGM, with the NSPCC reporting they receive daily reports. The children’s charity has further stated their charity helpline has logged 1,564 calls between June 2013 and January 2017 about girls who have either been subject to or at risk of the illegal practice.

In 2015 a law was introduced in England and Wales where nurses, midwives and doctors have a mandatory duty to report FGM cases of anyone under 18 to the police. So it vital as part of your care to look out for signs and report it straight away.

Some families are unaware the procedure is in fact illegal and may still go ahead with the procedure in their home countries due to cultural norms.

John Cameron Head of NSPCC helplines said “It’s vital that everyone realises FGM serves no purpose, and leaves long-lasting physical and emotional scars. This is child abuse and against the law. It has no place in any society.”

A study from City University London and Equality Now showed 137,000 women and girls in England and Wales had been affected by FGM.

Whilst on duty if you come across or feel as though a patient in your care is a victim of FGM report it straight away to the nurse in charge of the shift.