A cash injection of over £7.5m has been used to try and support the rollout of digital shift technology for nurses across the whole of England. It has been confirmed that this is going to give support to those who need it the most. Minister Helen Whately has stated that the new funds are going to be used by over 40 trusts and that this is being done to try and help people with the e-rostering system. Out of those, there are going to be five trusts who can use the software so that they can schedule any appointments they need. If you work in the industry of private nursing or even in homecare, then you will know how important this is for the nursing movement.

In the House of Commons, it would seem that Boris Johnson told those who were members of parliament that there has been a pay rise that is above inflation. This is referring to public sector workers as well as nurses. At the end of the day, it would seem that the pay rate is over 12.8% pay rise over the last few years and that this is going to be more than enough to cover any rising inflation in the country. This is not really true and those who work in homecare or even private nursing, will know this more than anyone. The RCN have written to Boris Johnson so that the facts about the nursing pay can be clarified. In the RCN executive Donna Kinnair has told the Prime Minister that there needs to be more clarification and that more needs to be done to try and give support to those who truly need it. To those who are working brutal shifts today, it would seem that this kind of message is somewhat demoralising, and that people need to try and face against this new variant along with rising pressure from the sector.

Leaders who work in Scotland and Wales have stated that they are not going to be asking those who are in their final year as a nurse to come back to clinical placements. We are at a very crucial stage in the coronavirus pandemic and it would seem that those who work in homecare or even in private nursing know this first-hand. This situation is being kept under a very close review by the devolved governments in various countries. The top priority for people right now is to make sure that the final year students can graduate. They want to ensure that students are able to retain their supernumerary status if possible.

Some nursing practices in England have been denied sick pay for any employer coronavirus-based cases. This happened in the first few stages of the pandemic. A grim survey has revealed this information and this is good news to say the least. Of course, the Queens’ Nursing Group have been asked by the NHS England to see if they can capture the general experiences of those who nursed during the Spring. There are a lot of GPNs who have been let down and they have not been respected at all. The survey was done in the year 2000 and they have also received responses from over 3,100 nurses. In a report which has been published, it would seem that the QNI is very clear in the fact that COVID has exaggerated any issues that lie around remuneration and it has also shown issues for working conditions. This is especially the case for homecare and even those who work in private nursing. Of course, the lack of sick pay was mentioned by the survey on a basis of 15 times. One nurse has told the QNI that the practice does not pay out for sick pay and this has caused a huge range of difficulties. This is especially when it comes to staff who follow the guidelines on things such as self-isolation. They have also added that if they had any standardised terms or conditions then this would not be an issue at all. If they agreed that they would have to self-isolate and be paid if they became ill, then this would really work in the favour of those who are putting in the hours. Their aim right now is to try and make sure that they are having more equitable treatment for those who work in the nursing sector.