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We are celebrating nutrition and hydration week to highlight the importance of nutrition and hydration within the healthcare sector.

Nutrition and hydration are very important, particularly for the older generation. Not consuming enough food and not being hydrated can cause fragile skin and bones, dizziness, headaches and feel weak, increased risk of infections, falls, kidney problems, and many other problems.

It essential that we provide our patients a nutritious well-balanced diet and ensure our patients are hydrated on a consistent basis, our healthcare staff ensures our patients healthy and energized.

Secure healthcare work closely with chefs at care/nursing homes and home care patients to assist and support to ensure individuals receive nutritious tasty meals and make sure our patients are hydrated.

It is important to have a well-balanced diet that is nutritious and that you remain hydrated, as your long term health is likely to be impacted if you are not doing this, whether that is if you are not eating enough or if you are eating fatty foods such as pizza, cheese, fast food meals, etc. Having a well-balanced nutritious diet and staying hydrated will ensure you are energized throughout the day and you will be much healthier.

The British Nutrition Foundation highlights that one-third of our diet should be made up of fruit and vegetables. A portion of fruit and vegetables is 80grams and it is important to have 5 portions to contribute towards your 5-a-day.

Fruit and vegetables are important to contribute towards your vitamins and minerals, to ensure a healthy well-balanced diet, and reduce nutritional deficiencies. Fruit can be a good way to start your day, eating a banana full of, high in sugar and fiber will give you great morning energy, also it vital to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day to ensure you have a nutritious diet.

High fiber fruit and vegetables are good for the digestive system, to remove waste more efficiently. Eating a diet with fiber can reduce blood cholesterol levels, prevent heart disease, bowel cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Click here to find out more about different fruit and vegetables nutritious information

Nutrition and Hydration Week Awareness

Protein

Is it essential that you have a diet that has your daily protein intake to fuel your energy and to help you repair your body cells and make new ones? For adults it is recommended to take an average of 0.8g of protein per kilogram body weight per day, for example, if you weigh 75kg, you would need 60grams of protein per day. If you work out having 20-30grams of extra protein after workout out is important, to repair your muscles.

Some high protein foods per (100g) include: Chicken breast (28g), Salmon (20g), Cheese (25g), Red lentils (7.6g), Chickpeas (8.4g), Oatmeal (11.2g), Almonds (21.1g)

Hydrate your body

Ensure that your drink enough water throughout the day to make sure you are hydrated. Hot drinks often tend to cause dehydration, therefore it is important that you drink water throughout the day. In the UK it is recommended that adults have 1600ml of fluid (women) and 2000ml of fluid (men), approximately 6-8 glasses a day. For those that do not drink enough, you will feel dehydrated, you will become thirsty, urine will become darker in colour, and will notice a stronger smell, you may also experience headaches, feeling dizzy and tired, and finding it difficult to concentrate.

The Problem

Cavell Nurses’ Trust spoke to over 2,200 nurses, midwives and HCAs about financial hardship and deprivation, domestic abuse, health, illness, wellbeing and employment. Here’s what we found:

  • Nurses are nearly twice as likely as the average person to be unable to afford basic necessities like beds, washing machines and keeping their homes warm
  • Two in five nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants have a long-term physical or mental illness that limits their day-to-day activity
  • Nurses are 3 times more likely to have experienced domestic abuse in the last year

“This is appalling, and we’re taking action”

Will you be here for nurses?

Cavell Nurses’ Trust gives money and support to nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants (HCAs) who are facing financial hardship, often because of illness, domestic abuse and the effects of older age. If you believe we should be here for nurses, please join us and take action at cavellnursestrust.org/research If you’re a nurse, midwife, HCA or work in healthcare, please take action and help your colleagues at cavellnursestrust.org/ research

Still caring

In spite of all this, nursing professionals are getting on with the vital job of caring for the UK. Nurses give so much to us all. They help bring our children into the world. They care for us when we’re dying. They’re here for us with care and compassion at the darkest and the brightest moments in-between.

About Cavell Nurses’ Trust

Cavell Nurses’ Trust is here for nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants (HCAs) with money and support when they are experiencing personal or financial hardship. We also help people who are retired or have changed profession and help students in exceptional situations. We’re proud to offer a listening ear and practical support to everyone who gets in touch. Cavell Nurses’ Trust was established in 1917 following the execution of British nurse Edith Cavell in WW1. She helped 200 Allied soldiers reach freedom from German-occupied Belgium and Cavell Nurses’ Trust is her living legacy. We’re proud to maintain Edith’s values of compassion, courage and care in the work we do. Put simply, we’re #HereForNurses

“I was devastated; the idea that I wouldn’t walk again and be unable

to return to work was horrible. I couldn’t imagine my life without nursing”

In 2010, nurse Michelle’s life changed forever. Until then, she’d worked with new born babies suffering heart problems and loved every minute of it, but increasing pain in her lower back turned into bad news – two ruptured discs. It soon became clear that Michelle would be a wheelchair user for the rest of her life. Michelle’s determination was strong and after five months in hospital and six months rehabilitation, she was ready to return to work. But costly modifications were needed to her wheelchair so Cavell Nurses’ Trust was able to secure funding to convert her manual wheelchair into an electric one. This help has ensured Michelle’s return to work as a Cardiac Education Nurse.

“The help I’ve received from Cavell Nurses’ Trust has been life changing, I will be forever grateful to them.”

A student job in a nursing home opened Louise’s* eyes to a career caring for others and after qualifying in 2005, she nursed in her local hospital. Now a nurse and mother, Louise found her life took a bad turn as her partner was becoming increasingly abusive towards her – physically, emotionally and financially. She ended up in a women’s refuge with a bag of clothes and a toy for each child. Cavell Nurses’ Trust was quickly able to fund items for Louise’s new home and pay her registration costs, allowing her to return to her beloved nursing career.

“I’ve given so much during my nursing career and I’m so grateful to know that Cavell Nurses’ Trust

are there for me if I need help.”

Could this report be a catalyst for making a change?

The money and support Cavell Nurses’ Trust gives must be made available to more and more people. To do this we need to raise awareness of the cause described in this report. We need to raise awareness of the help available. And we need to raise the funds to make it all happen. Cavell Nurses’ Trust can only do this with your support. So I ask you to consider how you, the people you know and the people you work with, could be here for nurses too.

The brains of SuperAgers (those 80 years old and older whose memories are as sharp as healthy people in their 50s and 60s) shrink much slower than their age-matched peers, resulting in a greater resistance to ‘typical’ memory loss and dementia, a new path-breaking study that shows.

 

This is a MRI scan of a SuperAger’s brain. The portion between the yellow and red lines is the cortex, which contains neurons. SuperAgers’ cortices shrunk over two times slower than average-age peers’ in a recent Northwestern Medicine study, which may contribute to their superior memory performance.

Credit: Northwestern University

The highly engaged and delightful conversationalist, who reads, volunteers and routinely researches questions on the Internet, is part of a new path-breaking Northwestern Medicine study that shows that SuperAgers’ brains shrink much slower than their age-matched peers, resulting in a greater resistance to “typical” memory loss and dementia.

Over the course of the 18-month study, normal agers lost volume in the cortex twice as fast as SuperAgers, a rare group of people aged 80 and above whose memories are as sharp as those of healthy persons decades younger.

“Increasing age is often accompanied by ‘typical’ cognitive decline or, in some cases, more severe cognitive decline called dementia,” said first author Amanda Cook, a clinical neuropsychology doctoral student in the laboratory of Emily Rogalski and Sandra Weintraub. “SuperAgers suggest that age-related cognitive decline is not inevitable.”The study was published in JAMA. Senior author Emily Rogalski will present the findings at the 2017 Cognitive Aging Summit in Bethesda, Maryland, April 6.SuperAger research at Northwestern is flipping the traditional approach to Alzheimer’s research of focusing on brains that are underperforming to instead focusing on outperforming brains.

Thinking and memory skills were most improved when people exercised the heart and muscles on a regular basis, a review of 39 studies found. This remained true in those who already showed signs of cognitive decline. Taking up exercise at any age was worthwhile for the mind and body, the Australian researchers said.

Exercises such as T’ai Chi were recommended for people over the age of 50 who couldn’t manage other more challenging forms of exercise, the study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine said.

Physical activity has long been known to reduce the risk of a number of diseases, including type-2 diabetes and some cancers, and it is thought to play a role in warding off the brain’s natural decline as we enter middle age.

The theory is that through exercise the brain receives a greater supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients that boost its health as well as a growth hormone that helps the formation of new neurons and connections.

In this analysis of previous studies, researchers from the University of Canberra looked at the effects of at least four weeks of structured physical exercise on the brain function of adults.

In a variety of brain tests, they found evidence of aerobic exercise improving cognitive abilities, such as thinking, reading, learning and reasoning, while muscle training – for example, using weights – had a significant effect on memory and the brain’s ability to plan and organise, the so-called executive functions.

Joe Northey, study author and researcher from the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise at Canberra, said the findings were convincing enough to enable both types of exercise to be prescribed to improve brain health in the over-50s.

“Even if you are doing moderate exercise only once or twice a week there are still improvements in cognitive function, but the improvements were better the more exercise was done,” he said.

He said people should be able to hold a conversation while doing moderate exercise.

NHS guidelines recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week and exercise the major muscles on two or more days a week.

As well as staying physically active, Dr David Reynolds, from Alzheimer’s Research UK, said it was equally important to look after our brains by staying mentally active, eating a balanced diet, drinking only in moderation and not smoking.

Thinking and memory skills were most improved when people exercised the heart and muscles on a regular basis, a review of 39 studies found. This remained true in those who already showed signs of cognitive decline. Taking up exercise at any age was worthwhile for the mind and body, the Australian researchers said.

Exercises such as T’ai Chi were recommended for people over the age of 50 who couldn’t manage other more challenging forms of exercise, the study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine said.

Physical activity has long been known to reduce the risk of a number of diseases, including type-2 diabetes and some cancers, and it is thought to play a role in warding off the brain’s natural decline as we enter middle age.

The theory is that through exercise the brain receives a greater supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients that boost its health as well as a growth hormone that helps the formation of new neurons and connections.

In this analysis of previous studies, researchers from the University of Canberra looked at the effects of at least four weeks of structured physical exercise on the brain function of adults.

In a variety of brain tests, they found evidence of aerobic exercise improving cognitive abilities, such as thinking, reading, learning and reasoning, while muscle training – for example, using weights – had a significant effect on memory and the brain’s ability to plan and organise, the so-called executive functions.

Joe Northey, study author and researcher from the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise at Canberra, said the findings were convincing enough to enable both types of exercise to be prescribed to improve brain health in the over-50s.

“Even if you are doing moderate exercise only once or twice a week there are still improvements in cognitive function, but the improvements were better the more exercise was done,” he said.

He said people should be able to hold a conversation while doing moderate exercise.

NHS guidelines recommend that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week and exercise the major muscles on two or more days a week.

As well as staying physically active, Dr David Reynolds, from Alzheimer’s Research UK, said it was equally important to look after our brains by staying mentally active, eating a balanced diet, drinking only in moderation and not smoking.

Cavell Nurses’ Trust Trust is always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help spread the word about Cavell Nurses’ Trust or work on specific projects. Could you spare a few hours to help them out to support nurses in need?

Cavell Nurses’ Trust is Edith Cavell’s legacy, a charity set up in her name that, nowadays, supports nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants suffering hardship. They provide support for UK nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, both working and retired, when they’re suffering personal or financial hardship – often because of illness, disability, domestic abuse and the effects of older age. “We’re a charity, and we help people at no cost to them. We give a listening ear and practical support to everyone who asks for help.”

 

Mya helped out at Cavell Nurses’ Trust offices

“I am currently studying for my A-levels and after that I would like to pursue my dream career of becoming a nurse; this is why I joined the Cavell Nurses’ Trust on my work experience week, in which I have gained office skills and independent research abilities.

“I have enjoyed my time at Cavell Nurses’ Trust, the people are extremely helpful, positive and friendly, and they have welcomed me into their charity, in which I am greatly thankful for.”

 

Sabrina took part in a bucket collection at Birmingham New Street

“Collecting at Birmingham New Street Station for Cavell Nurses’ Trust was such a brilliant experience it will stay with me forever. I was helping to support nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants in their time of need. This really touched me as I am a student nurse so I really wanted to raise as much money as I possibility could.

“I love volunteering and going the extra mile to raise awareness as I believe everyone can change someone else’s life for the better.

“I’m always being told I am a happy and smiley person but for members of the public to tell me to “keep up the hard work” and “carry on smiling” is really astonishing! I found it surprising that from just a few hours of volunteering my confidence grew so much and I went from an empty bucket to a heavy bucket of donations quite quickly.

“Volunteering is something I would definitely do again. It was such a great experience considering it’s my first time volunteering for Cavell Nurses’ Trust and I received great support and from the team which is amazing.”

Browse through the history of Cavell Nurses’ Trust, from the life of Edith Cavell herself right through to the latest milestones achieved by the charity.

If you are interested in volunteering opportunities please email : fundraising@cavellnursestrust.org

Eating healthy can be a bit of a challenge, as healthcare professionals are typically managing long shifts, running around and balancing many things at once. Taking a lunch break can sometimes be impossible. For this reason, snacking might be the best way to keep you going. Snacks can be consumed quickly on the go. Plus, eating 5-6 small meals a day, instead of 3 large meals, keeps the metabolism working at peak performance. Here are some great snack suggestions for busy nurses, doctors or healthcare workers :

  • Fresh or dried fruit. Fresh fruit is portable, refreshing, and can be eaten quickly. Fruits that are ready to eat when you want them are best, such as apples, bananas, grapes, or berries. Oranges and other citrus fruits can also be a good snack, but it is best to peel them ahead of time so they can be consumed quickly on the go. Dried fruit is also a great healthy snack idea, but watch out for added sugar and preservatives. When it comes to fruit, fresh is best.
  • Sliced apple (or a banana) with peanut butter (2 tablespoons is 1 serving).Apples alone are a great snack because they are highly portable and are low on the glycemic index, which means that it digests more slowly than many other carbohydrates and does not cause an extreme spike in blood sugar. Pairing an apple with peanut butter, which is a good source of protein and good for you fats, will keep you feeling full even longer. Sliced apples can be easily dipped in peanut butter and eaten on the go. Bananas are a great source of potassium, which is essential for proper muscular function. For additional convenience, peanut butter can be purchased in serving-sized packages
  • Brown rice cake with nut butter.Anything paired with nut butter is a great workday snack. Brown rice cakes are low calorie and can be kept at work for easy access.
  • Hummus is another food that is low glycemic and a good source of fat and protein. It can be consumed with multigrain crackers or whole wheat pita bread, or with veggies, such as cucumbers, celery, carrots, or peppers, for added nutritional value. Hummus can be purchased in a snack-size or in a larger container that can be stored in the break room refrigerator.
  • Mixed nuts.Nuts are low glycemic and high in fat and protein, in additional to other health benefits. This is another snack that is easily eaten on the go, but be weary of your serving sizes. A serving of nuts is 1 ounce, which is typically about a handful. Choosing natural or lightly salted nuts over those with higher sodium. Pair the nuts with some dried cranberries or raisins for a healthy trail mix.
  • Greek yogurt.Greek yogurt is high in protein, so it helps you stay full throughout your shift. Its portability makes it a great grab-and-go snack. This is another item that is easily stored in the break room refrigerator. Add fruit, nuts, or granola for greater energy.
  • Oatmeal is full of protein and fibre, helping you get through your day. It is also warming and comforting, which makes for a soothing snack. The healthiest variety is plain or original oatmeal, but there are also many different flavors available. Adding fruit, nuts, and honey is a good way perk up plain oatmeal.
  • Cottage cheese.2% milk fat or nonfat cottage cheese is high in protein to keep you full longer and low in fat and calories. This snack can be bought in convenient snack-size packages or in a larger container and left at work. Cottage cheese is versatile and can be eaten with virtually anything. Try it with fresh fruit or fruit preserves, veggies, or avocado to mix it up.
  • Protein or granola bars.There are many different brands and flavors of protein and granola bars to choose from. Reading the label is key to finding the healthiest ones, as some pack so much sugar they are basically glorified candy bars. Look for bars that are lower in sugar and that contain 10 or more grams of protein and 4 or more grams of fibre.
  • Fruit smoothie or protein shake.Fruit smoothies and protein shakes can be purchased at the grocery store or made at home before work and stored in the refrigerator until snack-time. If buying them pre-made, watch out for smoothies and shakes that are high in sugar or contain a lot of preservatives.

Have any other favourite healthy snacks? Leave a comment to share it with us – Sharing is caring too !

Last year’s report by Skills for Care on the state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England estimated that just under 340,000 social care employees leave their jobs each year. On average, in care homes there are about 2,800 unfilled manager jobs at any one time while, despite concerted recruitment drives, vacancy rates for social workers in the statutory sector have jumped from 7.3% in 2012 to 11% in 2016, and turnover rates continue to climb.

Sharon Allen, chief executive of Skills for Care, says: “Recruitment and retention is without a doubt the biggest issue for adult social care employers because to have sufficient [levels] of the right people with the right skills is absolutely fundamental to providing quality care and support. It is a big concern for everybody and we’re trying to help promote careers in social care … but there are many challenges.”

With 80% of all jobs in adult social care held by women, something is clearly making women want to leave the sector. And the problems are not just confined to social care. In the NHS, figures from NHS Employers show that 77% of the workforce is female. There are currently 24,000 nursing vacancies (including in social care), according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

In community health nursing, there has been a 12% drop overall in full-time equivalent staffing numbers since September 2009, despite growing demand.

In the East Midlands, district nurse Mary Black says her team and other colleagues are struggling to cope, because of a mixture of unfilled vacancies, maternity leave and long-term sickness absence, which directly affect patient care. “We firefight every single day: moving patient visits, ringing round to see if other teams can help, and we often have to cancel or defer. We have bank and agency nurses to cover vacancies, but not usually sickness or maternity leave, so it means the staff who are left have lots more visits to do each day,” she says. “There is no continuity, as often there’s a different agency nurse each day and there are a lot of duties and patient visits that an agency nurse can’t do, so the complex patients fall to our permanent members of the team. Agency staff often cancel at the last minute and sometimes don’t turn up.”

Black says: “It often feels like we’re not giving our patients a very good service, we cannot spend the time with them that they often need. Incidents and complaints will have risen.”

Rob Davies, a senior physiotherapist at a large hospital in the south-west, which he asked not to be named, says it struggles to attract recruits from further afield. For the last eight months, there have been 12.5 full-time equivalent vacancies for junior physiotherapists and two for senior specialist ones. With major trauma status, and a busy outpatient unit, an overnight and weekend service, the 140 members of the physiotherapy team are swamped, even when they have a full roster of staff. Stress is now the biggest cause of workplace sickness, he says. “[Staff shortages] affect everything from how you manage the caseload, and what you can do for patients, and it contributes to staff stress. It affects morale. I’m surprised that more of us in our department don’t go off sick.

“When you don’t have the right staff levels, we have to see patients on a prioritised basis,” he says. “Patients don’t get the quality and sometimes it means people get sub-optimal outcomes. It’s frustrating and demoralising.” Some of his colleagues have voted with their feet: leaving for private sector jobs with better work-life balance, or moving somewhere with lower house prices. “They are on the same money as it’s nationally done but the property prices are different,” Davies says. In the South-West, the shortages are particularly acute for more junior grades. “It tends to be easier to recruit more senior physios as they are a band up so the pay is better but it still can be an issue getting the right people down to us.”

Last month’s report on the public sector workforce by the Reform thinktank is blunt about the impact of staffing problems. “Public services fail when employees fail,” it concludes. “This is the dramatic lesson from a number of high-profile errors in recent public service delivery. In many instances, quality is compromised, not because of individual incompetence, but the way the workforce is structured and organised.”

With potentially fewer candidates from the EU and more existing staff retiring, it will be crucial for the NHS and social care sectors to attract younger people. Allen says that there is already close working with schools and job centres to promote social care as a career and adult social care has had “phenomenal success” with apprenticeships, although the government’s levy on large employers to help fund apprenticeships could risk this success. “There’s more we can do to promote social care as a really great career for young people,” says Allen. “It’s not just about getting people in, it’s about keeping them.”

What is the DBS?

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps healthcare employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable candidates from working with vulnerable groups, including children and elderly . It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

For those posts that involve a greater degree of contact with children or vulnerable adults, ie the type of work that involves regularly caring for, supervising, training or being in sole charge of such people, candidates will require an enhanced DBS check.

If I have a criminal conviction, can I still be employed?

This will depend on whether your offence is considered to make you unsuitable to have access to patients. We conduct a greater level of checks on staff who work with certain patient groups, such as children and vulnerable adults. We will however consider a range of factors before making our decision to appoint -the nature of the offence -the age at which it was committed – its relevance to the post in question – whether the applicant has a pattern of offending behaviour – whether the applicants circumstances have changed since the offending behaviour – the circumstances surrounding the offence and the explanation(s) offered by the convicted individual.

Why does Secure Healthcare Solutions ask for an Enhanced DBS Check ?

We do this to protect our client and patients. In doing this, we balance the need to prevent unsuitable people from working in sensitive posts, against the threat of discrimination against rehabilitated ex-offenders. In addition to the information included in the Standard Check, an Enhanced DBS Check includes a consultation of the new lists of individuals considered unsuitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. The police will also check for any additional information held in their files that might be relevant to the position being applied for. It is then up to the police to decide what extra information is added to the report.

What is the definition of a vulnerable adult?

Whilst the term ‘vulnerable’ is no longer in use, this is defined as an adult person aged 18 or over who is in receipt of specific types of services, namely:

  • healthcare for adults provided by, or under the direction or supervision of a regulated healthcare professional
  • personal care for adults
  • social work – provision by a social care worker of social work which is required in connection with any health services or social services
  • assistance with an adult’s cash, bills or shopping because of their age, illness or disability arranged via a third party
  • assisting in the conduct of an adult’s own affairs under a formal appointment
  • conveying adults for reasons of age, illness or disability to, from, or between places, where they receive healthcare, personal care or social work arranged via a third party.

Can Secure Healthcare Solutions Help with the Costs of DBS?

If you are a professional healthcare assistant, support worker with a minimum of 12 months experience , a registered nurse looking for work and motivated to do well in the Care industry , then secure healthcare solutions would be more than happy to take care of all the costs of your full enhanced DBS check, usually worth just under £70 mark.

Looking for Full-time or Flexible agency work ?

Full-time agency workers are welcome, with block bookings and contracts available. Benefits of working with Secure Healthcare

 

High pay rates
Flexible shifts
Regular shifts
Block bookings
Online timesheets
Dedicated Consultant
Refer a friend scheme
Free Uniform
Free Training
Meet and Greet (First Shift)
Internal Taxi Service for shifts
Both Permanent and Temporary Jobs available
Onsite Financial Advice

Register with one of the fastest growing nursing agencies in West Midlands

Registration is really simple.

Please fill in the details on the left and one of our team members will call you within 24 hours.

There has never been a better time to join Secure Healthcare Solutions in a full or part time nursing job.

Register now

 

 

Nursing is Career … Not just a Job

You’re ready for a new job opportunity. Started job search and managed to book yourself an Interview , all is good and as planned, by this point, you need to do your home work to be ready to sell yourself and the best way in doing so is to have a close look at your potential employer’s website.This will help you grow your confidence level and show your future employer you care and want the Job more than the other candidates.

Did you know that you have a chance of asking HR questions before accepting a job offer as a nurse? The widespread shortage of nurses in many places gives you room to be a job seeker with a choice on who to work for. Don’t be timid. Ask questions about what you consider important to you and how you carry out your job. Worth considering the following questions before giving a definite answer :

  1. About salary and allowances

Ask about your starting salary and compare this with what is offered in your area for similar roles . Inquire about allowances in relation to relocation, overtime and any other special nursing care related duties. Many healthcare agencies fail to guarantee secured working hours for their nurses. A great way to find out is to just ask and check your future employer’s reviews, testimonials and social media accounts.

  1. Job related benefits

What does the company offer for your personal healthcare? This relates to matters such as insurance, paid vacation/leave and maternity leave for women.

  1. Interpersonal relationships

Strive to know the relationship between the administration and the workers. How easy can you have issues resolved between you and a fellow member of staff or between you and the administration? Does the company have a mentorship program?

  1. Education and Training opportunities

Does the company have a continuing education program that will improve your CV and Overall Career Development ? Opportunities to get certifications in certain areas can help in your professional progression. Many healthcare agencies do offer mandatory training , offer courses and development days to help nurses improve their practice and support their continuing professional development (CPD). It is a great chance to ask your future employer if training is included in your employment contract.

  1. Will your personal special circumstances be considered in your new job role?

This can relate to physical or social-family issues. A pregnant or nursing mother for example may find it challenging to work in certain areas. Such mothers may need a department with more flexibility where it may be possible to take a break or reduce working hours (part time ) when circumstances demand. In addition to talking to the HR officer, talk to nurses and other staff who are already working with the company. You will learn from them some things that HR may not be willing to tell you. All these will help you to decide whether take the job opportunity or not.

If you make it a priority to ask these important questions before you accept a nursing job offer, you’ll be much happier with your decision—whether you accept or decline it. It might seem like a good idea to at first take what you can get, but what you want at the end of the day is to love your job and the best way to achieve this is to do your homework beforehand.

Small things like that can be helpful conversation topics during an interview and, ultimately, they can make all the difference in securing the position. Secure Healthcare Solutions is a specialist in establishment healthcare staffing solutions across England. We are actively recruiting and supplying front line staff in Birmingham and the West Midlands,Northampton, Milton Keynes, London, Manchester and Bristol areas.