Nurses to train in basic care, ministers to say
26 March 2013 Last updated at 01:23
Nurses to train in basic care, ministers to say
By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News
Nurses will have to spend time as healthcare assistants doing basic tasks such as washing and dressing before completing their degree training, ministers are proposing.
The move is part of a package of measures to be unveiled in response to the Stafford hospital inquiry.
Ministers will concede later a change of culture is needed across the system.
It comes after the inquiry claimed the public had been betrayed over the way the scandal was handled.
Previous reports have documented harrowing neglect and abuse at the hospital between 2005 to 2008.
Statistics at the time showed there were between 400 and 1,200 more deaths than would be expected.
The public inquiry, published at the start of February, accused the NHS of putting corporate self-interest ahead of patients, concluding the failings went from the top to the bottom of the system.
In total the report made 290 recommendations.
Ministers are not expected to respond individually to each one.
Instead, they will spell out a series of steps they are taking to answer the main themes that arose from the inquiry.
Among these will be details about how compassion on the front line could be improved.
‘Hands-on’
Ministers believe placing student nurses on wards as healthcare assistants for up to a year will help them develop the caring skills required, before going on to do a degree.
It is unclear whether this time would count towards their degree however as nurse students currently have to spend half of their three years in training working in placements in hospitals and the community.
New minimum training standards and a code of conduct for healthcare assistants is also likely to be unveiled, although this looks like it will fall short of the registration scheme recommended by the public inquiry.
Speaking ahead of his announcement to Parliament, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said encouraging compassionate care needed to be more of a priority.
“Front-line, hands-on caring experience and values need to be equal with academic training,” he said.
“Start Quote
This culture of cover up and denial is a cancer eating away at the NHS”
Peter Walsh Action Against Medical Accidents
“These measures are about recruiting all staff with the right values and giving them the training they need to do their job properly, so that patients are treated with compassion.”
But Peter Walsh, of Action against Medical Accidents, said introducing a legal duty of candour, which was also demanded by the public inquiry, had the potential to have the biggest impact.
Such a duty would require the NHS to be honest when it makes a mistake.
Mr Walsh said: “For over 60 years the NHS has done no more than pay lip service to the fundamental principle that patients and their families should be told the truth when there has been an error which causes harm.
“Whilst frowning upon cover-ups, the system has effectively tolerated them.
“This culture of cover-up and denial is a cancer eating away at the NHS.
“The legally enforceable duty of candour will help change that culture and represents the biggest advance in patient safety and patients rights in the history of the NHS.”
