Certainly a week of news to induce glumness in the merriest of souls - super injunctions, whistleblowers, killer winter flu statistics, appalling news from the Care Quality Commission identifying three NHS Trusts ultimately failing to deliver essential and basic care to elderly patients (more spot checks needed please) : one hospital adopted a strategy of prescribing water to ensure that patients would be given it by nursing staff….prescribing water, come on. Desperate measures.
The working week ended with very concerning news about MMR outbreaks in Europe and now, very sadly, in a street near you.
Next week, all things Herd Immunity but as this week ends, I type with one hand while my head rests on the other in despair: the government giveth [PCT’s], they taketh away [the demise of community healthcare specialists…viz Health Visitors, adequate numbers of District Nurses and oh yes, PCTs]. The term swings and roundabouts comes to mind.
The extraordinary guru of all things creativeness Guy Browning penned ( *as well as this week’s title):
The four horsemen of glumness are tiredness, boredom, rain and low blood sugar
Last Friday was national work from home day, which I decided to stretch for a whole week. Looking across all things health this week was a challenge with a new puppy in the house (for your interest, a West Highland Terrier: not so West Highland but all Terrier)
My own four horsemen of glumness were indeed in line with Guy’s description:
Tiredness (new puppy)
Boredom (new puppy – understands “Sit and Stay”, but “put the kettle on” sadly a stretch too far, yet)
Rain (puppy can’t go out…innovative methods required for certain actions)
Low blood Sugar (All of the above, no biscuits…puppy can’t go out)
Looking at the week in relation to health matters would slide any caring health professional from a wet spaniel to a black dog (in my own case, a white dog):
Health reform issues dipped out of the limelight this week ( a cunning plan), temporarily slipped under the carpet while a media circus ensued over a kiss and tell story exposed via twitter and the floor of the House of Commons. The debacle did highlight important factors equally important in the delivery of healthcare: Protection of privacy and dignity, and whistleblowing.
While the health reform debate puffs along with much deliberation over who leads what and when, nurses must just crack on and lead delivery of frontline healthcare despite the low numbers on the ground. The Nursing and Midwifery Council promote that nurse education providers ensure that Essential Skills Clusters are assessed across all branches of nursing in the training of student nurses to ensure that basic elements of care giving are learned from the beginning, and mastered throughout the 3 year training:
care, compassion and communication / organisational aspects of care / infection control/nutrition and fluid management/ medicines management
It is common sense to see where privacy and dignity applies to all of the above. However, the problem at the moment is just not enough qualified nurses working on wards to educate, mentor and provide a positive role model for student nurses. Unfortunately, too many students are relying on clinical simulation within university skills labs to practice these essential skills, often on each other.
We’ve got what we’ve got.
So while the listening exercise goes on across the country in the Andrew Landsley roadshow events, let us not forget that while the likes of John Hemmings MP is afforded parliamentary privileges when whistleblowing kiss and tell / twitter and the like about Ry** G***s (is it safe yet?) , others may not feel the same level of protection when considering whistleblowing against colleagues in the healthcare setting.
Prescribing water.......[sigh] someone knew!
