Nursing in Practice May/June 2020 (issue 114) | Page 11

leading’ district
w-up report
t nurses are refusing
‘This is completely
people we are trying
Paul Brand, in the
arers are now
k and that ‘nobody
es during the
ors
urses
e’ roles
urses have been
id-19 crisis to roles
such as
sts.
ing leaders, who told
re also concerned
from vulnerable
ed them more than
g executive director
have heard that
itors have not been
s.
a time when we
erable as they can’t
upport.’
cutive of the
urses Association,
t school nurses
n ‘unqualified
nursing, admin or HCA’ posts.
An NHS spokesperson said health and care
staff had ‘responded magnificently’ to the
‘biggest healthcare challenge in our history’,
including working in new and different roles.
Nursing groups fear
domestic violence
rise with health visitor
redeployment
Victims of domestic abuse could be left in
a support ‘vacuum’ with the redeployment
of health visitors and school nurses to tackle
coronavirus, nursing groups have warned.
Director of policy and quality for the Institute
of Health Visiting (iHV) Alison Morton told
Nursing in Practice that the redeployment of
health visitors could mean family members being
abused in the home were at greater risk.
Nursing in Practice reported this on 8 April,
as the domestic violence charity Refuge
revealed calls to the National Domestic Abuse
Helpline rose by 25% and visits to its website
were up by 150% since lockdown began.
Ms Morton said a recent Institute of Health
Visiting review found in some areas between
50% and 70% of health visitors were sent to
work elsewhere.
She continued: ‘This will seriously reduce
the capacity of health visiting to respond to
situations like [domestic abuse]... Potentially
we’re leaving a bit of a vacuum with nobody
to fill those roles.’
She warned that countries such as Italy,
China and France have seen the ‘secondary
impact of Covid-19’ through rising domestic
violence cases.
‘Lack of PPE could
compound social care
and community nurse
shortages’
nurses
Community and social care nurses told Nursing
in Practice that staff shortages could be made
worse by the lack of personal protective
equipment at a time when they were taking on
more patients.
The community workforce could be reduced
as the PPE shortages make it more likely
colleagues will become ill, nurses explained to
Nursing in Practice.
Alice, a district nurse team lead in Somerset,
who did not wish to give her full name, said she
had to split just 25 masks between her team of
20 one week, adding that ‘the lack of PPE is
very worrying’.