Nursing in Practice May/June 2020 (issue 114) | Page 10

6 COMMUNITY NEWS
ITV News corrects ‘mis
nurse claims with follo
Broadcaster ITV reported the district nurse role
was as ‘important as ever’ following a major
backlash when it claimed they were unable to
see patients during the coronavirus epidemic.
ITV News focused on district nurse Jo
Paterson as she carried out her role in the
community. The broadcast said district nurses
were ‘just as willing to confront the risks as their
colleagues on the wards’. Ms Paterson said that
her workload had increased, up to 12 visits
a day.
This was broadcast more than a week after
ITV reported carers were over-burdened
because district nurses and GPs were unable
to see patients in the community.
‘Patients have perhaps passed away a lot
quicker [than we expected],’ Ms Paterson said,
and she sometimes asked herself: ‘Did I do
everything I should have done?’.
The Queen’s Nursing Institute told Nursing in
Practice, after the original report, that ITV had
promised to ‘correct’ the ‘misleading’
impression.
QNI chief executive Crystal Oldman said in
a tweet: ‘Have spoken with [ITV News political
correspondent] Paul Brand and he will ensure
the message is corrected asap.
‘District nurses will be filmed at work to show
that 24/7 care for people in their homes
continues during Covid-19.’
John Unsworth, QNI chair and registered
nurse, had told Nursing in Practice the report
‘pitted’ district nurses and carers ‘against one
another’.
Specialist practitioner district nurse Reanne
White, in Greater Manchester, told Nursing in
Practice the original report ‘completely
discredited the vital work district nurses do’.
‘The report stated distric
to visit patients,’ she said.
false and misleads the very
to protect.’
Political correspondent
original report, stated that c
‘covering for others’ at wor
else will go into’ some hom
outbreak.
Health visit
and school n
redeployed in
‘inappropriat
Health visitors and school n
redeployed during the Cov
that do not use their skills,
administration and HCA po
This is according to nurs
Nursing in Practice they we
this was taking them away
families at a time they need
ever.
Institute of Health Visitin
Dr Cheryll Adams said: ‘We
some redeployed health vis
given posts using their skill
‘This is very worrying at
know more families are vuln
access the same levels of s
Sharon White, chief exe
School and Public Health N
told Nursing in Practice tha
have been asked to take o
Staff shortages could be made worse by the lack of PPE, say community
nursinginpractice.com May/June 2020