Current Affairs

[Manoverboard]

No problem then ...

ps ... I can understand accents from Java a whole lot easier than folk from Consett or Dudley.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Whatever the subtleties we have shortages so we need to exert our freedom and stamp our feetl Tell the medical schools they need to meet a quota of UK trainees or lose funding. Tell the overseas students they have to commit to a minimum period working for the NHS to qualify for a training place. And recruit the best from across the world who wish to come here free of EU rules.

[Kendhni]

Better still, all medical staff trained within the UK, irrespective or origin, must work within the NHS for a minimum amount of time (or they can buy themselves out if that is what they want). Although I think that would be unachievable.

[david63]

My plan would be that for every year that a qualified doctor/nurse worked in the NHS the NHS/Government would pay their university tuition fees and then after ten years they would be written off.

[screwy]

Or why don’t we go back to the good old fashioned ways,where nurses were trained on the wards and not in Universities,students running up debts.

[Onelife]

Re: David's post

…. that would be totally unfair on every other university student who will be paying back their loans for the next 30 years.

[Mervyn and Trish]

But many other university students are a lot less useful to society. Media studies for example. Generally they weren't even very useful in the media. But maybe the same idea could apply to other in demand professions. Teaching, engineering?

[david63]

Re: David's post

…. that would be totally unfair on every other university student who will be paying back their loans for the next 30 years.

It may come as a surprise to you but the Government already sponsor students through university by paying their fees on condition that they work for that particular department upon graduating.

[Kendhni]

My plan would be that for every year that a qualified doctor/nurse worked in the NHS the NHS/Government would pay their university tuition fees and then after ten years they would be written off.

Something very similar to that was LibDem policy many years ago ... haven't heard it mentioned for ages though.

[Onelife]

Re: David's post

…. that would be totally unfair on every other university student who will be paying back their loans for the next 30 years.

It may come as a surprise to you but the Government already sponsor students through university by paying their fees on condition that they work for that particular department upon graduating.

Hi David, Yes’s that dose come as a surprise. Would I be right in thinking that Government funded university sponsorships are for very specific jobs such as intelligence etc? If this isn’t the case, I’m sure I would have heard about it before as our daughter works for a government department which is of great bennift to society and she would certainly have applied had it been open to her.

[david63]

Would I be right in thinking that Government funded university sponsorships are for very specific jobs such as intelligence etc?

I don't know all the details as to what jobs/departments provide university sponsorship, nor the qualifying criteria, but it definitely does happen.

Also remember that industry has sponsored students through university for years.

[Onelife]

Or why don’t we go back to the good old fashioned ways,where nurses were trained on the wards and not in Universities,students running up debts.

I think the solution to recruitment and retainment of student nurses would be better served if as Screwy has suggested we returned to in-house training with onsite accommodation where needed. I think one of the major factors in nurse retention is not having the comradery that nurses gained from living, working and training alongside each other, this is how my wife got her training and ended up being a senior nurse.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Good notions, but two points. Although nurse training is more classroom based than in the past, most is at nursing and midwifery schools attached to or partnered with hospitals, and there is still an element of hands on on site training alongside their peers. As for the accommodation I think most of the onsite facilities closed because nurses preferred to get away from the job and live in the community. The origins were in the days when nurses were single and expected to pack up the job when they married.

[CaroleF]

I trained at Bart's back in 1965 when the training started with 12 weeks in the Preliminary Training School which, at that time, was not in London but in a village in Hertfordshire. At the end of that time we had to pass our Preliminary Examination in order to be able to continue our training. This exam was both practical and written. After that we went to London and worked on our first ward for three months. Each ward was staffed by a Sister, whose authority was absolute. She had two staff nurses who worked alternate shifts and the rest of the staff was comprised of probably two third year nurses, two second year nurses and one or two first years. During those three months we had experience of continual training both from the sister and from the other nurses. We learnt on the job. The ward also had a permanent kitchen maid and cleaner who took great pride in their ward. Yes discipline was very strict but we learnt. Each three months we changed wards to get experience in all the different aspects of the hospital. At the end of the year we went back into the Training School, in London this time, and had a month's Study Block culminating in exams at the end of the month. Then it was back on the wards and gradually we gained experience in wards, theatre, departments etc including periods of night duty. At the end of the third year we had to take the exams in order to become a State Registered Nurse. We also had to take Bart's own Hospital Exams which were considered much more difficult than the SRN exams. If we passed we became Staff Nurses and were allocated to a ward or department for our fourth year. I see so many advantages in this system as opposed to the modern way of training. The Ward Sisters knew their patients thoroughly, knew their condition, knew their families. From my experience this is not the case today. When John was in hospital back in 2020 and was having difficulty eating I asked the Charge Nurse if he had eaten any lunch the day I went in. The answer I got from the Charge Nurse, who was supposed to know all about his patients - 'I don't know.' To me that says it all. I don't doubt that the modern nurses are caring and trying to do their best. It's the system that's wrong.

[CaroleF]

That seems to have gone before I intended. I was going on to say that I have thought that until the NHS is taken out of Political control things won't change. There needs to be an all party study including medical and nursing experts to have any chance of things changing. No political party will dare to do anything radical. The NHS when it was started wasn't intended to do all the things it does today. Given the amazing changes and advances in medical care is it really realistic to expect it to be free with just the National Insurance payments to fund it. Impossible. Until people accept that there are things they will have to pay for then things will never change. Why, for example do we expect hospitals to pay for patients' meals? People pay for their own meals at home, why not in hospital. Then they complain about the standard of the food. That's only one small example.

Carole

[Onelife]

Good notions, but two points. Although nurse training is more classroom based than in the past, most is at nursing and midwifery schools attached to or partnered with hospitals, and there is still an element of hands on on site training alongside their peers. As for the accommodation I think most of the onsite facilities closed because nurses preferred to get away from the job and live in the community. The origins were in the days when nurses were single and expected to pack up the job when they married.

I don’t know this for a fact but I think there was a move towards a more higher-level entry qualifications to get into nursing some years back which could explain one of the reasons we are having the shortfalls now?

I don’t know this for a fact either, but I would have thought a majority of would-be nurses chose this career choice on leaving school and as such would have found the option of moving into an environment of likeminded students quite appealing having cut the apron strings of mommy and daddy for the first time.

This to my mind is where the Government have fallen short with the recruitment of nurses…they have failed over the years to acknowledge the sacrifices that nurses make in what is a highly demanding job both physically and mentally.…. I remember my wife doing ten day shifts and coming home absolutely knackerd for three days in preparation the next 8/9/10 day shift. Unless this government starts to acknowledge nursing for what it is and put in place work/life packages that reflects this demanding profession the sooner they will start attracting people back into nursing again.

[Onelife]

Excellent post Carole

[Mervyn and Trish]

Excellent post Carole

I agree. Some excellent points. For sure the Sister or Charge Nurse is pivotal in how well a ward rums. I was lucky that those on the ward during my adventure in 2020 were great.

[Ranchi]

I see the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony takes place later today and the events start tomorrow. We had a super time at the Glasgow games (2014?) and had tickets for several events (table tennis, gymnastics, triathlon & rugby sevens.) I must admit that this games has crept up a bit on us but I really don’t think we would have thought about applying for tickets. I’ve just checked and we are equidistant from Glasgow & Birmingham but I couldn’t tell you the location of any of the forthcoming events. I suppose Covid has perhaps had an effect on us considering applying for tickets but we did go to Wimbledon. Perhaps it’s a north/south thing or has Birmingham been short changed a bit in the publicity stakes? Let’s hope it’s a good games anyway. There’ll certainly be some square eyes in our house in the next ten days - even if the sound is turned down for some commentators.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm not an economics expert, but I'm slightly baffled by the impact of fuel sanctions on Russia and their responses. We've said we're going to stop buying their gas and oil in time, as have most at least of the EU. In response they've insisted any we do buy must be paid in Roubles. Now they've reduced supplies via the Nord Stream pipeline to 20%. However wholesale prices have risen 6 fold as a result of all this. So it seems to me they're being paid more overall to supply less gas. It seems this particular sanction is actually benefiting their economy while damaging ours.

On a related topic it seems immoral to me that energy companies have just announced multibillion pound profits while their customers are visiting food banks. Time for another round of windfall taxes maybe?

[david63]

So it seems to me they're being paid more overall to supply less gas.

Basic economics of supply and demand. When the demand outstrips the supply then prices go up and when supply outstrips demand then prices go down. You see this all the time, but not to the same extent, with oil - the price goes up because of demand so the Arabs supply more oil and the price comes down.

Time for another round of windfall taxes maybe?

Would have more benefit to everyone if they were forced to reduce their prices immediately.

[towny44]

I'm not an economics expert, but I'm slightly baffled by the impact of fuel sanctions on Russia and their responses. We've said we're going to stop buying their gas and oil in time, as have most at least of the EU. In response they've insisted any we do buy must be paid in Roubles. Now they've reduced supplies via the Nord Stream pipeline to 20%. However wholesale prices have risen 6 fold as a result of all this. So it seems to me they're being paid more overall to supply less gas. It seems this particular sanction is actually benefiting their economy while damaging ours.

On a related topic it seems immoral to me that energy companies have just announced multibillion pound profits while their customers are visiting food banks. Time for another round of windfall taxes maybe?

I think that only 2 of the domestic supply companies actually benefit from having oil or gas revenues BGs owner Centrica and Shell, the rest are possibly losing money if they bet wrongly on buying forward.
As for Russia, unless the UN could agree a consensus with all countries not to buy Ruusian oil, gas or coal, then it looks as though Putin holds the upper hand.

[Ray B]

At the Vardy and Rooney trial today, did anyone notice the van that that Vardy arrived in parked on the zig zags and also the pedestrian crossing its self whilst a pedestrian was attempting to cross. The law is explicit in that no one without exception shall stop at a pedestrian crossing except to allow a pedestrian to cross.
The vans of both of them stopped in the same place. At least two tickets to issue for violations methinks.

[Stephen]

Not forgetting the clamps. One for each wheel with individual charges to release, along with fifty lashes.

[david63]

Looks like we are entering the "silly season" with the Tory leadership contenders.

Sunak - £10 fine if you miss two NHS appointments!
Does he not realise that (a) £10 will not be a deterrent to many, (b) Many will never pay it and (c) it will cost way too much to administer.

Truss - Anyone with top grades will have an automatic invite to Oxford and/or Cambridge!
Do these universities have sufficient places? Do all top grade students want to go to these universities? I also thought that all universities thrive on a diverse array of students - not just an "elite" group. And why select those two universities over all the others?