Back in 1973 at The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, no-one talked about compassion. You were either a good student nurse or a bad one. Or, as in my case, one with plenty of room for improvement. It was a Saturday lunchtime, and I was in handover on the infectious ward. I was allocated … Continue reading
The nursing profession is facing exceptionally difficult times. Deep cuts to frontline services, continued attacks on terms and conditions and an unrelenting degree of media scrutiny are all taking their toll on the profession. There is also, of course, the publication of the seminal Francis report, which gives nursing – and indeed anyone working in … Continue reading
In the wake of the Francis report and Mid-Staffordshire scandals, it has recently come to light that a further 14 trusts are under investigation due to unnecessary deaths and appalling mismanagement. There may be more. It is clear that our current system of healthcare regulation has failed. More importantly, this has meant that the NHS … Continue reading
A few days ago, I tweeted about a beautiful letter and said that NHS staff deserve a more balanced press. I didn’t expect 70 re-tweets, nine favourites, 50 new followers and 40 responses. One said that I was wrong and that NHS care was terrible. A couple said that poor care must be dealt with … Continue reading
