Tag: nursing

Nurses and midwives urged to add their fingerprint to Nightingale’s Flame

University launches campaign on International Nurses Day

Florence Nightingale, known as The Lady with the Lamp, is the inspiration behind a new campaign to be launched on International Nurses Day.

Staff at Edinburgh Napier’s School of Health & Social Care have created Nightingale’s Flame as an act of solidarity among nurses and midwives just as thousands of students across the UK answer the call to take up NHS placements during the current public health crisis.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) is revered in nursing as an inspirational leader, influential campaigner and a pioneer in the use of data to inform decision-making.

Her May 12th birthday is celebrated every year as International Nurses Day, and it takes on extra significance this year on the 200th anniversary. To mark this anniversary, the International Council of Nurses and World Health Organisation have declared 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

The new campaign will be be launched tomorrow on 12 May, which is International Nurses Day. The campaign, which will run to the end of 2020, encourages all past, present and student nurses and midwives to add their fingerprint to Nightingale’s Flame.

With the project now adapted to work remotely, participants are asked to email a photo or scan of their fingerprint to NightingalesLantern@napier.ac.uk

As illustrated in this video (link live from Monday 11th), each fingerprint will be added to the flame graphic, and at the end of the year the final image will be printed as a physical tribute, to be unveiled in December and displayed at the University. Fingerprints can be sent in any colour, and participants can also opt to send their name or initials, home location and/or place of work to be added to a register.

Andrew Waddington, an Associate Lecturer in the School, said: “As we work through the Covid-19 pandemic, we are reminded of the role nurses and midwives have in keeping our healthcare system going.

“Nightingale’s Flame is being launched as an act of solidarity, a reminder that we each contribute a unique role while also reminding us that we sit together as part of a larger community.”

To mark Year of the Nurse and Midwife, Edinburgh Napier has also launched a search for stories from nurses and midwives with links to the University which illustrate leadership and impact in the field.

Students, staff and alumni are encouraged to submit a story to be published on the Nightingale’s Lantern blog.

Nursing organisation issues statement on PPE

The NMC has issued a statement on personal protective equipment that sets out key points to help nursing and midwifery professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), said: “At this time of national crisis, it’s clear if we are to protect the public, then we’ve all got to do everything we can to ensure our nursing and midwifery professionals are able to practise as safely and as effectively as possible.

“We know that the consistent and timely availability of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) continues to be a significant challenge in health and social care across the UK. Understandably PPE is being raised with us by our registrants and their employers and is the focus of intense activity at a national level in all four countries.

“The statement we are publishing today clarifies the key points that nurses, midwives and nursing associates should take into account when applying the Code in practice and making considered professional judgements.

“I hope this information will provide reassurance for everyone using and working in health and care settings and help support nursing and midwifery professionals to make the right individual decisions for them and the people they care for during these incredibly challenging circumstances.”

The Statement:

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) recognises the enormous challenges faced by health and social care professionals at this time and we know they are worried about the timely delivery and provision of the right personal protective equipment (PPE).

Despite the significant and urgent effort to improve the availability of appropriate PPE in health and social care settings across the UK, some professionals are still facing situations where there is insufficient suitable protective equipment available.

Our Code and Standards support nurses, midwives and nursing associates in these difficult situations by setting out the key principles to follow to keep themselves, those they lead or manage and those they care for safe.

To support our registrants further we set out below some key points to help them as they put the Code into practice and exercise their professional judgment during this unprecedented pandemic situation.

How national guidance and the Code supports you as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate dealing with challenging PPE issues

National guidance on the use of PPE has been issued to support you during this time. Whether you are a nurses, midwife, nursing associate or a student on clinical placement you should follow this guidance, which covers a range of infection control measures, including hand hygiene and respiratory and cough hygiene, as well as advice on appropriate PPE and best practice.

Your employer is responsible for ensuring that you and any staff you lead or manage have all the necessary protective equipment – including protective clothing – and that you have access to current guidance on how and when to use it correctly to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19. Your employer is there to help you and your colleagues by managing resources effectively and dealing with risk, so that that the safety and quality of care or service you provide for people can be maintained.

As set out in the Code, if you have any concerns about the availability or use of PPE you must raise these with your manager as soon as possible, to make sure that they are aware of the issue and can take action to support you. You can also refer to our raising concerns guidance or seek advice from your representative body or trade union.

If situations arise where suitable equipment is not available difficult decisions may need to be made quickly about the safest and best course of action. The Code states that to preserve safety you must take account of your own personal safety, the safety of others and the availability of other options for care. So you shouldn’t feel that when making decisions, you have to place yourself or others at risk, or that you need to make these decisions on your own.

Where possible you should work with colleagues to find the best way forward in these circumstances. It is important to take into consideration the balance of risks in relation to those people who are dependent on care services, as well as the requirement to protect yourself and other staff so that they are able to provide ongoing care.

Any decisions you make should take account of local and/or national clinical guidance, advice and protocols.

Factors to consider include:

  • whether treatment can be delayed or provided differently (for example, remotely)
  • the availability of different levels of PPE that may offer sufficient protection to you and others in particular care activities
  • whether some members of the wider team are at a higher risk of infection than others
  • whether different care and treatment decisions might be appropriate to minimise the risk of transmission in accordance with local and national advice
  • Taking account of all the options available, what course of action is likely to result in the least harm in the circumstances, taking into account your own safety, the safety of others and the people in your care.

You should make a record of your decisions regarding how you handle any safety concerns. You should describe how you used your own professional judgment, the role of other members of the team in decision making, and the outcome.

We acknowledge that in exercising your professional judgment in line with the Code you may decide that you need to refuse to provide care or treatment to an individual because it is not safe for you to do so.

If a concern is raised with us about any registrant refusing to treat a patient because of their concerns about inadequate PPE or being responsible for service delivery in the absence of adequate PPE, we would follow the approach that we have set out in our joint regulatory statement. As part of this approach we would consider the context of the current pandemic, including the risks that the individual registrant was exposed to and how they exercised and recorded their professional judgment in line with the Code.

Nursing student’s play impresses judges

A gritty play written by a student and performed as a teaching aid has led to Edinburgh Napier being nominated twice in the prestigious Student Nursing Times Awards 2020.

Trisha Jeram has been shortlisted for ‘Most Inspirational Student Nurse of the Year’ for her work creating the play, ‘Cracks’.

The play tells the story of Bob and Debbie, whose lives gradually interweave to show stark differences in health outcomes due to unequal access to health and social care services.

Written and directed by Trisha (above), a third year Masters in Nursing student, Cracks stars a volunteer cast of amateur actors including nursing students, community actors and staff from the School of Health & Social Care.

Student nurse actor Siobhan Bourke said: “Trisha is a huge inspiration and an amazing person all round. If you bring your idea to the right people, in this case the lecturers at Edinburgh Napier University, it can reach its potential.”

Film studies students from Edinburgh Napier’s School of Arts & Creative Industries produced a film of Cracks, which is now part of an undergraduate nursing course on health and social care integration.

It is for this use of drama in nursing education that a team of School of Health & Social Care staff including Catherine Mahoney, Fiona Bastow, Bruce Harper-McDonald, and Richard Kyle were shortlisted in a second category – ‘Teaching Innovation of the Year’.

Using drama has helped students to understand the complexity and reality of health and social care integration.  On-going research led by the Cracks team is evaluating the impact that using drama has on students’ learning.

Speaking of the impact of drama in the classroom, student nurse actor Nicola Jamieson said: “Cracks has been really good at generating discussion. Interagency working and integration don’t sound like the most interesting topics but the film has given them a human face through Debbie and Bob.”

Cracks was performed live at the Summerhall in Edinburgh to a public audience in June 2019 using a novel combination of live action and recorded footage from the film.

Professor Alyson Tobin, Vice Principal of Learning and Teaching at Edinburgh Napier, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Trisha and colleagues in the School of Health & Social Care have been shortlisted for these prestigious awards.

“It recognises the talent and creativity of our students and staff, and just shows what can happen when we work together to push boundaries to create innovative teaching and learning approaches.

“Trisha’s nomination will inspire others to pursue their own passions to support student learning.  I wish her and my colleagues in the School every success on awards night.”

Winners of the Student Nursing Times Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane on Friday 24 April.

NHS Lothian’s Nightingale Challenge set to inspire next generation of future leaders

NHS Lothian has launched its Nightingale Challenge to inspire nurses and midwives across the board to become future leaders.

The challenge, which is taking place around the world, forms part of the celebrations for the Year of the Nurse and Midwife and marks 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale.

The Nightingale Challenge encourages health employers to provide leadership and development training for their young nurses and midwifes during 2020. To date, more than 570 employers in 66 countries have signed up, involving around 25,000 nurses and midwives worldwide.

Across NHS Lothian, the focus for the challenge is ‘Inspiring the Next Generation.’ Through a programme of work NHS Lothian wants to promote the diversity of nursing and midwifery roles, and to highlight the various pathways to joining the professions. Already around 50 students and registered nurses and midwives across Lothian have signed up to take part.

The launch event on 24 January provided an opportunity for attendees to share their journeys into nursing and midwifery and to get involved in developing ideas to support the programme of events taking place throughout 2020 to mark the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

Professor Alex McMahon, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Healthcare Professionals, NHS Lothian said: “I am delighted that NHS Lothian is joining the celebrations to mark the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and that as part of this, will be getting involved in the Nightingale Challenge.

“The skills and experiences that I gained from my nursing days really have supported and enabled me to move into a range of leadership roles.

“I hope that through the Nightingale Challenge, we can inspire and encourage our young nurses and midwives to see themselves as future leaders, who will help to shape and support our NHS for years to come.”

NHS Lothian’s promotional activities in support of the Nightingale Challenge and the Year of the Nurse and Midwife can be followed by searching the hashtags #LothianYNM2020, #NightingaleChallenge, #ScotNurses2020 and #ScotMidwives2020 on social media. 

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