Children’s and learning disability nursing in Wales: no extra university places planned for next year

Children’s and learning disability nursing in Wales: no extra university places planned for next year

Failure to expand fields’ student cohorts at odds with government’s NHS vision, says RCN

The number of student places for children’s and learning disability nursing in Wales will remain static next year despite expansion in other nursing fields.

RCN Wales director Helen Whyley expressed her disappointment at the Welsh government's announcement there would be no increase in commissioned places.

‘There are is a desperate need for more children’s nurses on neonatal wards and in the community,’ Ms Whyley said.

Learning disability nurse workforce and a national education programme for the NHS

‘Only last week the Welsh government announced plans to embed a comprehensive national education programme for learning disability across the NHS in Wales. If this is to be successful, more learning disability nurses are needed.’

A Welsh Government spokesperson countered that training places for children’s and learning disability nursing had gone up by 18.4% in the past five years.

In contrast to children’s and learning disability nursing places for next year, the number of adult nursing] places commissioned will go up by 15%, from 1,216 to 1,400. Mental health nursing places will increase by 20%, from 134 to 161.

Number of mental health and learning disability nurses falls ‘significantly’ in a decade

Number of mental health and learning disability nurses falls ‘significantly’ in a decade

NHS Employers says figures show growing gap between workforce and demand for services

New data has revealed a large decline in numbers of nurses specialising in mental health and learning disabilities care in England.

The NHS Digital statistics show there were 36,196 mental health nurses in May this year, compared with 40,602 in September 2009.

Learning disability nurse numbers also declined, falling from 5,553 to 3,201 over the same period.

NHS Employers director of development and employment Sue Covill said: ‘These figures reveal some sobering realities. 

‘In mental health and learning disability nursing, staff numbers have significantly fallen over the past decade, while demand for care and services continues to grow.

‘There is a great deal of work to do to fill those gaps.’

NHS Employers has suggested ways that the government could increase specialist nurse numbers. These include: improving staff retention; developing a supportive policy for migrant nurses; reforming the apprenticeship levy; and reinstating funding for continuing professional development. 

Government cites work to boost nurse numbers

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the interim NHS People Plan will help to raise the profile of mental health and learning disability nursing. 

They added that the nursing degree apprenticeship programme will also boost staff numbers in these specialties.

‘We are already working to ensure that nurses in other sectors can easily move into mental health or learning disability nursing,’ they said. ‘And postgraduate students who started studying last year will receive a £10,000 incentive payment once they take up employment in these specialties.’

Responding to the data, RCN professional lead for mental health Catherine Gamble said the government must be held accountable for nurse numbers.

‘The upcoming spending review is a chance for the government to put their money where their mouth is and invest at least £1 billion a year in nursing higher education,’ she said.

To learn more please visit WORLD NURSING CONGRESS 2020 CONFERENCE.

Could you be the RCN Nurse of the Year in the year of the nurse?

Entries open for the RCNi Nurse Awards 2020, your chance to promote your work and specialty

Could you be the RCN Nurse of the Year in the international year of the nurse?

The search for the RCN Nurse of the Year 2020 has begun with the launch of the profession’s most prestigious annual awards.

Awards open to nursing professionals across the UK

The RCNi Nurse Awards invites nurses, students and nursing support workers from across the UK to share their innovations and expertise and celebrate their contributions to improving patient care and outcomes.

Entries are open to individuals and teams in 11 categories that cover the diversity of nursing. Next year's awards coincide with the World Health Organization's international year of the nurse and midwife, which will put the nursing profession in the global spotlight.

RCNi Nurse Awards 2020: the categories

• Advanced Nurse Practitioner
• Child Health
• Community Nursing
• Excellence in Cancer Research Nursing, sponsored by Cancer Research UK
• Innovations in your Specialty
• Learning Disability Nursing
• Mental Health Nursing
• Nursing Student
• Nursing Support Worker, sponsored by the RCN
• Patient’s Choice
• Team of the Year

Recognising the Patient’s Choice

The Patient’s Choice category, which gives patients an opportunity to nominate a nurse or healthcare assistant who has made a difference to their lives, is decided by a public vote.

The RCN Nurse of the Year 2020 will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on July 8, having been chosen from the category winners.

RCN Nurse of the Year 2019 Taurai Matare transformed her ophthalmology unit at Whipps Cross Hospital in London, creating a one-stop eye centre, developing her nursing team and eradicating four-hour waiting time breeches.

Ms Matare said: ‘I’ve done things I never would have dreamed of and had amazing opportunities to network with nurses nationally and internationally. When the prime minister Boris Johnson came to visit me for a one-to-one meeting, that was something else.’

Highlight the work of your team, colleagues and specialty 

• The accolade has raised her profile at her trust, Barts Health, and further afield.
• ‘When I won, I didn’t realise how big it was,’ she said. ‘I am being flown to Australia to speak at a conference and next year have an invitation to speak in Singapore.
• ‘I now have a waiting list of nurses and healthcare assistants from all over London who want to join my team. Winning this award has made so many nurses interested in ophthalmology, my passion, as a career.’

‘2020 awards will be even more special’

RCNi managing director Rachel Armitage said: ‘We are always passionate about celebrating nursing excellence, but the 2020 international year of the nurse makes the RCNi Nurse Awards even more special this year.

‘We hope nurses from all specialties and backgrounds throughout the UK will enter to help us shine a light on the outstanding care delivered to patients day in and day out in these challenging times.’

The deadline for entries is January 17 2020.

Leading nurse calls for united front to promote learning disability nursing

Queen's Nursing Institute clinical adviser sets out four pillars of practice for learning disability nurses and calls for an alliance of nursing organisations

An alliance of leading nursing organisations should join forces to promote learning disability nursing as well as clinical change.

This is the view of Jim Blair, clinical adviser in learning disabilities with the Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI) and honorary professor at Kingston and St George's Universities in London, who was speaking at the fifth annual Learning Disability Nursing conference – supported by Learning Disability Practice.

Speaking in relation to the recruitment and retention crisis in learning disability nursing, he cited several recent damning reports and high profile failures of care in the sector, as well as discussing calls for the profession to collaborate on promoting change.

Developing learning disability practice and underpinning clinical change

Mr Blair’s idea is that organisations, including the RCN, QNI and Foundation of Nursing Studies, should form a coalition to promote learning disability nursing.

He said: ‘We can build a coalition of organisations to develop learning disability practice and underpin clinical change.

‘There is fabulous work being done by learning disabilities in clinical practice in GP surgeries, and in hospitals, to save and enhance the lives of people with learning disabilities, and their families.

‘Together we can promote effective change; separately, we won’t.’

Four pillars of practice for learning disability nurses

Mr Blair also outlined four pillars of practice that he believes can improve care for people with learning disabilities:

• Reducing referral times from GPs to treatment.
• Ensuring that outpatients appointments occur and are successful for service users.
• Reducing lengths of stay in acute hospitals.
• Reducing readmission times post discharge.

Mr Blair said the conference, held in Manchester, was a great opportunity to showcase the work of learning disability nurses.

Nurses came from all over the UK for the event at which England’s chief nursing officer Ruth May and NHS England’s head of learning disability nursing David Harling spoke.

To learn more please visit World Nursing Congress 2020