To mark the 75th birthday of the NHS, Nursing in Practice has sought a selection of ‘birthday wishes’ from across the profession and is encouraging others to join the conversation on Twitter using #NHSBirthdayWish. We have asked those working across a variety of settings to share their hopes for the future of the NHS, as…
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On Rishi Sunak’s 100th day as Prime Minister (2 February), the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has delivered a petition with over 100,000 signatures to Downing Street, calling for a new pay deal for nurses. ‘Without nursing staff, there will be no NHS’ warned a letter signed by members of the college, calling on the…
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A combined day of nursing and ambulance strikes next month has not been coordinated in advance by the two unions, despite both announcing action for the same day. Nurses will be joined by ambulance workers across eight services represented by GMB union and Unite on 6 February. This is the first time in the disputes…
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Up to 100,000 RCN members have today walked out in a second day of strike action across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, in a dispute over pay and amid concerns over patient safety. The RCN has warned the UK Government that if it fails to respond within 48 hours’ of today’s strike ending, it will…
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Jeremy Hunt has laid out a wave of new funding for the NHS and social care, with an £8bn package for the health and care system in his autumn statement today. Mr Hunt said that ‘because of difficult decisions taken elsewhere today’, the NHS budget will be increased in each of the next two years…
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Autism, more correctly termed autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), is defined by NICE as: ‘A persistent disorder, present from early childhood, which significantly limits or impairs activities of daily living… characterised by developmental impairments in social interaction and social communication.’1  Autism can present in a variety of ways, including difficulties in conversation, non-verbal communication and the…
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Jeremy Hunt, the former longest-serving health secretary, has been named as Chancellor, in a move which could have big implications for NHS spending. Mr Hunt, who is currently chair of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee, has recently been vocal about the need for an urgent long-term NHS workforce plan. Since he…
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There is a lot in health and social care for nurses to be angry about, but can there be risks for those who choose to speak out? George Coxon considers It’s a dilemma, debate, and difficulty all in one – how politically active should we be as nurses? How strongly should we be responding to…
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Flexible working must be made easier in order to stop nurses leaving the NHS or reducing their hours, says Jeremy Hunt. The former health secretary and current chair of the health and social care select committee has warned that nurses in the NHS must be offered better opportunities to pursue flexible working. This comes as…
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Dr Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England, has been awarded a damehood for her services to nursing, midwifery and the NHS. Dame Ruth took over the role in 2018 following the merger of the management teams for NHS England and NHS Improvement, having previously served as executive director of nursing for the latter. She…
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