Welcome to the sixth edition of the monthly CNO bulletin.
These bulletins aim to provide you with updated information about relevant
issues in the NHS which will be of specific interest to nurses, midwives
and health visitors. It will also enable you to obtain further detail
about particular issues through hypertext links.
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New Years Honours
The following nurses are congratulated on the award of Honours in
recognition of their contribution to nursing and healthcare:
Dames, Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Catherine Elcoat, Chief Nurse at University Hospital Birmingham,
NHS Trust
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Jayne Barnes, Director of Nursing, NHS Direct, West Yorkshire
Metropolitan Ambulance Service
Professor Christine Beasley, Director of Nursing, LRO
Mrs Pauline Werhun, Director of Nursing and Clinical Development,
Sandwell Healthcare Trust
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Miss Heather Drabble, Chief Nurse, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
NHS Trust
Mrs Debra Murdock, Nurse Manager, Rampton Hospital
Ms Gillian Poole, Matron, Nuffield Hospital, Wolverhampton
Mrs Jennifer Rodgers, Lately Director of Quality and Nursing,
Frimley Park Hospital
Mrs Kathy-Ann Sienko, Nurse consultant for rehabilitation
Mrs Barbara Swann, Health Visitor
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Esrald Bennett, Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Ms Dorothy Duffy, Specialist Health Visitor
Mrs Christine Feather, Co-ordinator, Project action on clinical
effectiveness
Renato Garcia, Mental Health Services Manager
Mrs Jane Holroyd, Nurse Manager, Critical Care, Tameside and
Glossop Acute Hospitals Trust
Mrs Bernadette Marshall, Senior Nurse Manager and Professional
Head of Midwifery, West Midlands Hospitals NHS Trust
Ms Pauline Matthews, Sister, Endoscopy Unit, Dorset County
Hospital
Mrs Oksana Wolstenholme, Head of Nursing/Midwifery, Bradford
Hospitals NHS Trust
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Nurse Prescribing Courses
The first nurse prescribing courses for the extension of nurse prescribing
started on 7 January. Further courses will begin in February and March,
and will continue throughout the year, so there is still time for
employing organisations to nominate nurses and midwives for this centrally-funded
training. Full details of the extension of nurse prescribing, and
the list of Prescription Only Medicines which these nurses and midwives
will be able to prescribe, can be found at www.doh.gov.uk/nurseprescribing
For information on local HEIs offering this preparation, and to discuss
nominations, contact the Nurse Prescribing Lead at your Regional Office.
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Nursing Older People
One of the key milestones in the National Service Framework for
Older People published in March 2001 is the implementation of
a single assessment process for older people across health and social
care. The purpose of the process is to reduce duplication of assessment,
ensure that professionals work together, that the depth and detail
of assessment is proportionate to the individuals needs and the assessment
process is inclusive of the older person.
Using a standardised approach based on available evidence and reflecting
the key domains of the NSF for older people will ensure a consistent
assessment system. Final guidance is due to be published on the DH
website, week commencing 21/1/02.
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The Nursing Contribution to Reforming Emergency Care
On 25 October, the Secretary of State announced additional resources
for emergency care. The additional resources for nursing in A&E departments
were identified on 16 November. Additional guidance has been circulated
to Regional Nurse Directors and Trust Executive Nurse Directors to
support the nursing contribution to achieving streaming of patients
with minor injuries and conditions.
The aim of the allocation of additional nursing is to support improvements
in the quality of patient care and to meet the challenging targets
of waiting times in A&E.
You can find a copy of the guidance at (www.doh.gov.uk/capacityplanning/reformnursing.htm).
If you require further information please contact Nursing Officer
for Acute and Specialist Services Julie Pearce at julie.pearce@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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The Nursing Contribution to Comprehensive Critical Care
Trust Executive Nurse Directors and key clinical leaders within the
field of critical care received the Critical Care Nursing report last
month. The report forms a strategic programme of action, which brings
national and local action together. Although this programme provides
direction for nursing, it should be read and used in the context of
the multi-professional clinical teams both within critical care and
wards and departments that provide acute care.
You may find a copy of the report on the CNO website (www.doh.gov.uk/cno/criticalcarenurs.pdf
).
If you require further information please contact Nursing Officer
for Acute and Specialist Services Julie Pearce at julie.pearce@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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Mental Health Promotion website
A new Mental Health Promotion website has been launched to communicate
mental health promotion activity and examples of good practice. Standard
One of the National Service Framework for Mental Health requires health
and social services to promote mental health for everyone.
Local services need support from the Department of Health to develop
and implement evidence-based mental health promotion strategies by
the target date of March 2002. The website is designed to help them
in their efforts to achieve this target. The site has links to other
websites (for example, the Departments anti-discrimination campaign
mindout for mental health), and has its own mailbox for people
to comment on the site and exchange information, such as examples
of good practice.
Visit the site at www.doh.gov.uk/mentalhealthpromotion
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Nursing research
Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn announced a £6 million
investment package for nursing research at CNO's Conference in Harrogate
on 14 November.
The package consists of:
- a programme of high quality research on issues of priority
for nursing and midwifery - hosted by the NHS R&D Service Delivery
and Organisation Programme and led by a senior person from the world
of nursing research. The programme will receive £450,000 a year.
- a programme of research on nursing quality - a new Policy
Research Programme strategic research initiative supported by £2m
over 5 years. The PRP programme will focus on the relationship between
inputs and outcomes in nursing, midwifery and health visiting practice.
- support for King College London's Nursing Research Unit
- a new contract for a programme of work on nursing careers, roles,
practice and outcomes, running at £400,000 a year for 5 years. The
Nursing Research Unit contributed to King's College London School
of Nursing and Midwifery's maximum 5 rating in the last RAE exercise.
This substantial package of research funding is part of the response
to the recommendations of Towards a Strategy for Nursing Research
and Development. The report summarised recommendations from a
workshop organised by the Department in April 2001, which brought
together nurse leaders, researchers and academics to advise on the
capacity for - and development of - research in nursing and midwifery.
The report of the Task Group 3 - Research in Nursing and Allied Health
Professions - to the Higher Education Funding Council for England
and the Department of Health launched on Tuesday 3 December. HEFCE
and DH are now considering the recommendations. It can be found at
the HEFCE website at: www.hefce.ac.uk
For details of DH sponsored research, see www.doh.gov.uk/research
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Chief Nursing Officer's Special Award for Prison Nursing
Dave Wells received the first Nursing Standard Chief Nursing Officer's
Special Award, which for this year was for nurses working in prisons.
Dave was able to demonstrate significant improvements in the delivery
of care to prisoners within his cluster of prisons in Devon, through
innovative partnerships with mainstream health services. He was presented
with a cheque for £1000 and a special certificate at the Nursing Standard
Awards Ceremony in London on 30 October.
Congratulations to Dave and his team for their hard work and commitment.
For further information on nursing in the prison services contact
Lindsay.Bates@doh.gsi.gov.uk
or visit the websites www.doh.gov.uk/prisonhealth
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Immunisation and vaccination
Group C conjugate Meningococcal vaccine should be made available
for people aged 20 - 24, according to a professional letter issued
on 4 Jan. The letter also advised that pneumococcal vaccine should
be given to at risk children under 2 years of age.
The letter can be found at www.doh.gov.uk/cmo/cmo0201.htm
Health Promotion England has a range of information resources on
immunisation and vaccination at www.immunisation.org.uk
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Infectious Disease Strategy
The Chief Medical Officer's Infectious Disease Strategy Getting
Ahead of the Curve was published on 10 January. The strategy describes
the formation of the new National Infection Control and Health Protection
Agency.
The strategy recommends that intensified action is required to control:
- Health care associated infection
- Tuberculosis
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Blood-borne and sexually transmitted viruses.
Other recommendations include a programme of new vaccine development,
a strengthened, integrated approach to infection in childhood and
enhanced programmes of professional development.
For more information, visit www.doh.gov.uk/cmo/idstrategy
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Better services - better working lives
The delivery of first-class public services that are accessible to
everyone is a top priority for the Government. Our public service
reform agenda is driven by two key principles:
- the user comes first
- front-line providers should be empowered to put the user first.
A new report by the Women and Equality Unit, Better Services -
Better Working Lives, contributes by looking at what women want
from their health and education services - whether they work in the
services or use them.
The report shows that Government and front-line providers are already
delivering much of what women value, detailing over 30 examples of
flexible and responsive services provided in schools and health centres.
It also contains a series of Government commitments to promote further
action and makes recommendations for action locally.
To download a copy of the report, visit the WEU's website at www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk.
For a hard copy, write to DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood
Park, Annesley, Nottinghamshire, NG15 0DJ. Tel no. 0845 60 222 60
Or email dfes@prolog.uk, and
quote ref. WEU/PS1
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