A year of huge changes for nursing and the general political sphere has led many nursing opinion leaders to raise concerns about the future of nursing. With cuts to NHS pay and Brexit it is unclear what the NHS will look like moving forward. However, positive moments for nursing this year included the unveiling of the Mary Seacole statue as a beacon of hope to all nurses and government pledges to improve primary care through various documents.
Pay restraint is killing the NHS
With cuts and pay freezes nurses are struggling financially now more than ever. Sara Gorton, deputy head of health at Unison, raises concerns that this constant cutting of salaries will be detrimental to the NHS workforce, by discouraging people to train as nurses. She lays out a few ideas for how the government can show they value and support NHS staff.
What can we learn from Mary Seacole?
After 12 years of campaigning the Mary Seacole statue was finally unveiled in the grounds of St Thomas' hospital earlier this year. Mary Seacole was a pioneering black nurse, who provided care for soldiers during the Crimean War. Here Joan Myers OBE discusses how she can still be considered a role model for nurses today due to her determination and refusal to be held back.
Suicide is the biggest killer in young men and people under 35. This World Suicide Prevention Day, Annessa Rebair, reminded nurses and midwives that they have an important role in supporting patients with suicidal thoughts. It's a difficult conversation, but it is a conversation that desperately needs to be started by all healthcare professionals.
An exciting time to be a practice nurse
Crystal Oldman reflects on the key changes for practice nurses that happened this year including the release of the GP Forward View and the work Health Education England is undertaking to attract more practice nurses back into the profession. It is hoped that 2017 will be the year of the practice nurse.
Instability in the wake of the EU referendum
Following the vote to leave the EU, it became apparent that politicians didn't have many concrete plans in taking Brexit forward. As one the biggest bargaining chips during the campaign, the NHS was still not exempt from this instability. Madeleine Murphy considers what the impact of this huge change will mean for the NHS and in particular maternity services.
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