Nurses taken off skills shortage list

...and the NHS have placed a bar on recruitment of non-EEA national nurses.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5140648.stm


 

Vicky

  wow, this is big news!  I wonder when it goes into effect as far as work permits go?

I'll have to admit.. I am gobsmacked at this news.. There aren't enough NHS nurses as it is to go around. As it is lots of NHS trusts up here in Scotland are using agency nurses despite the recent articles about being forbid to do so.
When it comes right down to is its the patients that are going to suffer. They already are due to the current shortage of nursing staff. Who wants to work under the current pressures and unreasonable workloads? I'm gonna stop now before i really get my dander up .. LOL..
Kay
Yep i'm one of the US born/bred/trained nurses here in the UK that originally came on a work permit. Now have dual nationality ..

wow, this is big news!  I wonder when it goes into effect as far as work permits go?

Today.  It's not yet changed on the Home Office website though.

A bit more detail is here http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article1157573.ece

This government makes me sick.


Vicky

Wow!  That's incredible.  I truly don't see how that's going to benefit anyone.

It will benefit the nursing agencies, who will be rubbing their hands in glee as wards find themselves understaffed and have no where else to turn...


Vicky

That is a flippin' disaster!  Now I really do need to get my FLR!  Bastards!

Point to note...even if you are a nurse who is here as a spouse, although the visa aspect won't affect you, the NHS still won't be able to recruit you without proving that there are no EEA nationals who can do the job...


Vicky

When my acute medical ward is understaffed they will not allow us to use agency or allow any regular staff to work over time.  That is how I end up the only RN for 30 patients and running my ass off for 15 hours without any kind of bathroom, drink, meal break (I'm not kidding).  And the patients feel as if they are being neglected.  The nursing care is not great despite the hard work of the few staff around.  We do try hard.

We have health care assistants.  But they are not allowed to do or deal with 99% of the stuff that is going on.  The hospital won't hire or replace RN's.  Most of the staff you see on a general ward are going to be health care assistants.   My trust is one of the most underfunded ones in the UK however. 

I know I know I know.  I should quit and stop complaining but I just keep going back for more. 

I just think the word needs to get out as much as possible.  We CANNOT strike.  That would be bad.   

Really, what's the point?  Do they just not want to pay?  Or what?

They just don't want to pay. 

And if a patient gets horrible care  the RN who was trying to run between 30 people for 15 hours will get the blame.   The hospitals won't take the fall if something happens because they understaffed their wards.   The nurse will.

The health care assistants wear uniforms similiar to ours.  The public thinks that they are "nurses" and doesn't realize how understaffed the wards actually are.  They just think that the nurses are crap.  So basically we work our socks off and get a bad reputation.  The one RN is responsible for 30 patients and everything the untrained health care assistants do (and they aren't allowed to do very much really).   Occasionally we get 2 RN's for a shift.   We used to have 4.

I should just start an angry nurse blog instead of posting about this stuff all the time.   

I started this thread...and I don't mind you moaning at all!

The problem is that the NHS is haemorrhaging money, and instead of cutting managers, red tape, and stupid PPP deals, or encouraging people to use primary facilities, they are 'saving money' by cutting the number of doctors and nurses.  In order to pi$$ people off a bit less, they then decide to give UK staff priority...and they have to extend that to EEA nationals because of freedom of movement of labour laws.

Vicky

My sister said the shortage over here for nurses seems to be shrinking. She applied for the nursing program and did not get in this year. She said there were 100 spaces available and over 800 students applied. The career counselor told her they had never had that many applications before and a few years back they could not even fill all the slots available.

It's true, there are fewer slots available.  But it's not because people are getting less ill or don't need nursing care - it's because the NHS doesn't have the money to employ the nurses we need.

Vicky

My sister said the shortage over here for nurses seems to be shrinking. She applied for the nursing program and did not get in this year. She said there were 100 spaces available and over 800 students applied. The career counselor told her they had never had that many applications before and a few years back they could not even fill all the slots available.

There is no nursing shortage.  NEVER really has been.  There is a shortage of hospitals willing to employ enough nurses and have decent nurse/patient ratios.  There is also a shortage of places at nursing schools.  There are enough qualified nurses in the US and UK to take care of all of the sick.  Something like 1 out of 3 qualified nurses (of the overall trained nurses that exist) are not working in healthcare because it is too stressful due to having too many patients.   I am leaving the profession and going into something non-healthcare related and I'm not coming back for a million pound pay packet.  I might consider returning to nursing someday if they get strict about nurse patient ratios.

Someone told me (and I haven't looked this one up) that 23,000 nurses a year in the UK do not renew their licenses and leave nursing.