6 COMMUNITY NEWS
Care home nurses frustrated in wish to vaccinate residents
Registered nurses in care homes should routinely be giving Covid-19 vaccinations to their own residents , social care leaders told Nursing in Practice . But when this issue went to press they were being told they must be supervised by other NHS services while administering the vaccines or wait until local vaccination teams carry out them out .
The Government set a tight deadline for all care home residents in England to receive the first Covid vaccine dose by 24 January .
NHS England confirmed to Nursing in Practice that care home nurses could give the vaccinations but only if supervised by Primary Care Network ( PCN ) teams . Although , the spokesperson added , they expected most to be carried out by NHS services or practices .
But care home leaders said there was no reason why their own registered nurses could not deliver the first Covid-19 jabs and further inoculations with the proper training and this would help hit the tight deadline .
Louise Brady , clinical development lead at the Royal British Legion ’ s six care homes and a registered nurse , said it should be ‘ best practice ’ for care home nurses to vaccinate residents – especially as the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can easily be stored . She said : ‘ There ’ s no reason why care home nurses cannot support primary care in the vaccination process .’
NHS England offered the use of military clinical teams in the letter to PCNs , clinical commissioning groups ( CCGs ) and its own regional teams , setting out the 24 January deadline . But there was no mention of care home staff .
Mike Padgham , who runs four homes in North Yorkshire and is chair of the Independent Care Group , had been relying on external teams to administer vaccines to residents , but said it would be ‘ extremely beneficial ’ if care home nurses could administer them . He added : ‘ We need more vaccinators and we have qualified nurses in the homes . This could relieve pressure by getting residents vaccinated faster .’
Queen ’ s Nursing Institute ( QNI ) chief executive Dr Crystal Oldman said : ‘ Registered nurses working in care homes could be trained to vaccinate their own residents wherever it is safe to do so . They ’ re perfectly capable . This is an emergency situation and we should be using every resource to maximise vaccination .’ By Mimi Launder
Government appoints first social care chief nurse
The Government has appointed a chief nurse for adult social care in England .
Professor Deborah Sturdy , director of health and wellbeing at the Royal Hospital Chelsea , will take the role in an interim capacity until the post is permanently filled later this year .
Professor Sturdy has held a variety of positions in health and social care , including clinical practice , management , policy and research . She will continue part time at the Royal Hospital Chelsea .
Professor Sturdy will represent social care nurses and provide clinical leadership to the workforce , working with the minister for care and the chief nursing officer . The role is part of the Government ’ s Covid-19 plan for social care .
Vulnerable children at risk with sharp rise in domestic violence
Health visitors fear that children will be harmed as rates of domestic violence soar , an Institute of Health Visiting survey found .
Of 1,012 UK health visitors in England surveyed during October and November 2020 , 82 % said there had been an increase in domestic violence and abuse , while 61 % said there had been a rise in neglect .
Just over half ( 56 %) raised concerns that they were only able to focus on what feels like ’ the tip of the iceberg of unmet need ’, while a third said they felt so ‘ stretched ’ they fear ‘ a tragedy in our area at some point ’.
Deputy executive director at the Institute of Health Visiting ( iHV ) Alison Morton warned that
‘ we cannot knowingly overlook ’ the needs of babies and young children , especially as they were ‘ largely invisible in the first wave of the Government ’ s emergency plans ’.
She continued : ‘ We now know that many children are being harmed by the secondary impact of the pandemic .’ Health visitors also reported caseloads well beyond the optimal maximum of 250 children . Some 65 % said they were responsible for more than 300 children , 29 % for more than 500 children and 12 % for more than 700 children .
Nurse struck off after failing to perform CPR
A nurse who failed to resuscitate a resident in a care home in 2017 has been struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council register .
Nahid Nasiri failed to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation ( CPR ) on an 89-year-old woman who stopped breathing at the Woodlands Nursing Home in Surrey . The woman , who had no Do Not Attempt CPR order ( DNACPR ) on record , died on 6 August 2017 .
Mrs Nasiri , a registered nurse since 1992 , will be struck off after a fitness to practise panel reviewed her case . An initial hearing suspended her for 12 months after concluding a striking-off order would be ‘ unduly punitive ’. Now , a review has highlighted that Mrs Nasiri has not engaged with the NMC since August 2019 and had not ‘ provided any evidence of insight or remorse ’. nursinginpractice . com Winter 2021