jobs | Secure Healthcare Solutions

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.

What are the qualities of a good nurse? The nursing profession is unlike any other in the medical field. Why? A nurse is almost always the medical profession who spends the most time on a one on one basis with the patient. In some cases, a nurse will continue with home visits long after the patient has been discharged from the hospital. For these and many other reasons, a person considering to train as a nurse should do a self-assessment check and determine whether she has what it takes to be a great nurse. Considering the following is a good place to start.

Compassion Toward Others

The ability to ‘feel’ another person’s pain is not a gift that everyone possesses. A good nurse must go being sympathetic to a patient. There must be empathy; fellow-feeling. Doing this for patient after patient and day after day needs determination and a motivation that exceeds the need for mere survival through earning a salary as a nurse.

A Great Team – Player

There are many other people involved in patient care. A great nurse must be ready to maintain harmony in the team. The result of a cohesive team is superior patient care and better outcome.

A Great Nurse is a Permanent Learner

The medical field is a dynamic one. A nurse must continue learning the new trends in nursing care and also have an idea of other advances in medicine. This will not only help her remain at the top of things but will also make her a source of information and inspiration to others.

Level – Headedness

More often than not a nurse is under extreme pressure. Such situations call for decisive action. A great nurse is the one who handles such events with calmness. Panic is the worst thing in an emergency.

The qualities of a great nurse boil down to a caring, compassionate and calm person who can work under pressure without panicking. A great nurse is a source of strength and hope to the sick and a mentor to those following her steps in the profession.

Call on 0121 285 9449 today if you do wish to speak to an adviser – We certainly can help you be a great nurse .

7% difference in death rates have been linked to staffing alone. In a five-year investigation into the number of deaths in NHS hospitals, research suggests that:

Health care facilities with the highest staffing levels have the lowest death rates
The lack of nurses in a healthcare facility is considered one of the leading causes of hundreds of patients’ death after an emergency surgery.
The chance of surviving within 30 days of being admitted for an emergency operation is low in hospitals with fewer nurses, doctors and surgeons.

This only shows that nurses play a vital role in the health care industry, and the lack of them may account for a lot of patient’s death.

Based on the same research, the reason that many die after emergency surgery is because there is not enough nurses to care for them. An insufficient number of staff to spot and manage complications is also a key factor in determining whether a patient lives or dies in a particular facility.

Unfortunately, shortage of nursing is prevalent that NHS have to recruit from different parts of the world to fill gaps on rotas. These include nurses from India, Portugal, Philippines and Spain.

The problem is also foreseen to worsen with plans to scrap bursaries for future nurses and midwives. Taking out the bursaries of up to £20,000 could make the profession less enticing for a lot of people.

Still, there are ways to overcome nursing shortage.

1. Partner with providers of staffing solutions

Secure Healthcare Solutions is a specialist in health care staffing, supplying organisations with temporary and permanent solutions in the sector. They are hiring plenty of nurses that could become part of a clinic or hospital’s team, provided that you register with them. The agency also runs a referral program that are sure to encourage nurses to bring their peers into the organisation, and help eradicate shortage.

2. Create the right atmosphere

Secure Healthcare Solutions would take care of recruitment, but it is your responsibility to retain nurses within your employment. The best way to do this is to create an atmosphere that appreciates anything and everything a nurse does.

Keep work schedules flexible

Being overworked and stressed do not make happy nurses. Although nursing jobs are hardly easy and stress-free, it doesn’t have to be the cause of quick turnovers. You can offer relief by allowing nurses to juggle between work, home life and educational opportunities. Flexible scheduling would help create a working atmosphere that is productive and positive.

Offer opportunities for career development

There is a call for 80% of nurses to have a bachelor’s degree come 2020. If anyone in your nursing staff doesn’t have a degree, help them achieve the highest level education possible. Doing so will make nursing staff feel more satisfied with their job. When this happens, expect them to stay within the organisation and to work with excellence, and not out of gratitude for the opportunity given.

Listen to their needs

No one knows better how to improve workflow than those in the field. In the case of healthcare facilities, input and insights from nurses should be considered vital information, as they are the ones directly interacting with patients. So make sure they are given ample face time. It is also important to implement their suggestions to show that their opinions and input did not go to waste.