[uk_nurse]

I cant believe what is happening to our nursing jobs. The jobs are on a 'freeze' at the moment. The government is cutting jobs and people are losing their jobs. Why they doing this when their is such a nurse shortage. Patient care is getting worse, not because of us nurses not doing a good job, because we are all doing an excellent job, but because us nurses are finding it difficult to care for the patients due to shortage. What is the government thinking?

[fergus51]

I'm sorry this is happening. Canada did this in the early 90s and they are still feeling the effects. They're trying to lure the nurses that left for the US back to Canada now.

[Fiona59]

My unit is short staffed due to an influx of retirements. Its been a non-stop retirement run for the last two years.

There are still few full time positions with the majority being part-time.

I always find it strange that bedside staff, cleaners, etc can be cut but management increases as does their wages. Catering and security has been contracted out. The meals arrive frozen, ready to be microwaved. The security guards are usually geriatric and nowhere to be found (supposedly we can request an escort to the parkade).

It's the way of the world. Management increases and the workers are expected to do more with less.

You do have my sympathies. Right now, teachers are being hit in my region. Loads in university and major layoffs.

[debbieuk]

hi,
in my department (theatres) under agenda for change 12 months ago we were all assessed and staff nurses were given a 6 and sisters a 7. now we are being down banded to 5 for staff nurses and 6 for sisters!!!!!

they are cutting sisters posts so there will not be a sister in each theatre, they are changing the job descriptions and we have been told to sign the contract or loose our jobs. we have had unions in and they have been useless. they have just said that at 5.30 we should just go home but how can we do that if a patient is on a table?

they also said that they will support us if we get disaplinary action but who wants that. at the minute we are between a rock and a hard place.

the ironic thing is that our department has paid THOUSANDS to have an outside time management company come in and tell us we are over staffed and we need to sack people !!!!!!!

[english_nurse]

our agenda for change is completley stuffed up no one is on the right band
my trust has the same problem we are running on such low staffing that if one person is off the whole thing comes crashing down
everyone is fed up
we have no money for staff but money to replace the trees and shrubs growing around maternity unit
what the hell is going on i dont know
all i know is im not proud to tell people what i do for a living anymore

[sunnyjohn]

Gosh, I sure hope they straighten things out in the UK quickly. This sounds like a nightmare for you hard working Nurses!

They really should tread carefully as this will come back to bite them in the arse in 5 years when all the nurses they fire leave the country for greener pastures.

[cariad]

I left before agenda for change and nothing ever changes in the uk.
theres never been enough nurses for the patients but theres always been plenty of management and always new posts being created for the staff in the offices.

[madwife2002]

When I left the Uk in december last year, our trust had already been under strain and when people left they were not replaced, plus there was a ban on agency nurses and overtime. The awful thing about it was I worked in Hampshire and we were penalised for coming in under budget but another large trust in the area had over spent by 20 million and we had to have our budget cut to help that trust resolve their money problem. the biggest joke of all was they still advertised jobs where as my trust had a job freeze.
The saddest thing was the student nurses coming out of Soton university had NO jobs, when they qualified.
I had been part of the new grads interviewing process just before the freeze and we desperatly fought for these new nurses' contracts to be honoured.

[english_nurse]

its really sad for the students thats what happened to three of our qualifying cohorts, i saw one who had a placement on my ward working in sainsburys the other day
not only is that awful for her it is yet another example of money wastage by idiots looking for short term answers to a long term problem- bad management.

[karenG]

in general practice its not too bad........but my sisters hospital has just made all the senior nurses redundant.......and closed 3 wards including the oncology ward..!

who will teach the new nurses the skills they need (and dont get taught in school) now that all the old experianced ones have been sacked??

a friend who is a respiratory specialist (doing a masters in respiratory medicine with me) recently left her job...she was an 8a......the management called in the clinic nurses and they were told one of them had to do the respiratory specialist job but as a 7...... either that or be made redundant. the girl who took the job knows lots about fractures but nothing about respiratory stuff!!

this is scary.........

karen