It has come to light that those who have a job in private nursing or in homecare are now being forced to work in facilities that are in need of either investment or repair. All of this is putting patients at risk and this is not good for anyone.

Mental health services do require a huge amount of capital investment- but that being said, the majority of trusts would not be able to access the capital they need even if investments were made. Staff are being forced to care for patients who are in buildings that have outlived their original purpose. Two thirds of mental health trusts are not going to get the funding they need this year. A lot of the funding is for urgent repairs, or so they can upgrade their facilities. It has been warned that this sheer lack of investment is now putting patients at risk and that a lot of people are being cared for in wards that are just not suitable. The report has also revealed that around 27% of trusts thought that the allocated funding would not even meet half of what they need.

In addition to this, 2 out of 3 mental health trusts have estimated that they are going to need £50m-£150m of capital over the next 10 years. One trust have stated that they require half a billion as this is the only way that they are going to be able to address maintenance. A lot of trusts out there desperately want to try and give their patients the service that they need but they are not going to be able to do this if they are not able to get the repairs to their facility done on time. Only time will tell what the future holds but right now, the funding just isn’t covering what the trusts need.

Researchers who are in Northumbria are now embarking on a project that is worth well over £100,000. The whole thing is ultimately aimed at getting a much better understanding of those who treat patients who have Parkinson’s disease. Northumbria University are running the two-year project and the whole thing is being funded by Parkinson’s UK. There is a lot of hope for people to try and develop an evidence-based program that will have a positive impact on both nurses and patients.

Almost half of health visitors feel as though they are so stretched that they fear that a tragedy is going to happen where they work. The Institute of Health Visiting service have reacted to the findings by calling for extra regulatory protection for the profession in general and also by having new-ring fenced funding as well. The government pledge is to try and give every child the start that they deserve. Some believe that this has been left in tatters.

The government have cast a lot of doubt in regards to the overall ability of the NHS England. They don’t believe that they are going to be able to deliver the flagship pledge, which involves having 50,000 more nurses. This comes from a leaked email. If you work in homecare or private nursing then you will know how dire the staffing situation is right now, but it would appear that nothing is going to change until action is taken.

The new government needs to keep up with the promises that revolve around healthcare. If they don’t then they may end up facing the short shrift from the nurses who work on the front line. The conservatives came away with a landslide win and they have also managed to maintain a majority of 80 as well. They have also gained 47 seats since the last election. At the end of the day, it’s so important that the nursing profession remains at the heart of the debate and that every point is made to try and bolster the industry overall.

Digital glucose monitors really are known for improving well-being. They can also substantially reduce the burden of disease for patients as well. This information comes from Dutch researchers and it just goes to show that the positive findings are going to support the release of even more devices for Type 1 patients in England. The new study was led by Henk Bilo and it followed over 1365 patients who had a form of diabetes. The team who monitored the study gave them wearable glucose monitors for a total of 12 months. The study overall is aimed to try and evaluate the benefits of the device while also seeing if it is possible to self-monitor the condition overall.

The Royal College of Nursing have gone as far to launch a survey in an attempt to find out more about the skincare and health issues that members experience. The main reason why they are doing this is because they want to try and reduce the impact that work-related dermatitis is having. The RCN have stated that they were working with their members to find out if they could share their experience for caring with their hands and to also find out if any support can be offered if they do experience a skin issue. Those who work in the industry of homecare or private nursing will know this more than anyone.

There have been various dates released for maternity support workers and midwives too. They are all going to vote on whether they should attempt to join their nursing colleagues in the industrial strike that is happening right now in Ireland. Healthcare workers across the area, including people from the Union and College, have already started to take action so that they can demand pay parity and even safe staffing as well. At the end of the day, they are currently being left with absolutely no option but to take this step. If you work in homecare or even in private nursing, then you will know more than anyone what a big deal this truly is.

A major nursing conference was going to take place in Belfast. It has however been cancelled and a lot of this is due to the ongoing pay disputes that are happening in the north of Ireland. Those who work in the industry of private nursing will understand more than anyone how important it is for nurses to get a fair level of pay and this is especially the case when you look at how much work they put in. That being said, not enough is being done to help those who really need it. The same concept can be applied to those who work in homecare too.

A charity has warned that the UK are now short of 115 nurses for the treatment of MS. The UK need to do this if they want to try and meet the needs of the people who are being diagnosed with the condition. Some believe that there is somewhat of a postcode lottery going on right now and that not everyone is getting the treatment they need. Those who are in the field of private nursing or even in homecare will know more than anyone how important it is to give people who have been diagnosed with the condition the support that they need but this is becoming harder and harder to do.