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NMC ‘ committed to learning ’ after court overturns racism ruling
The NMC promised to fix ‘ gaps ’ in its guidance and training for staff and panellists after admitting its controversial ruling in a racism hearing was incorrect .
Melania Hayes , a mental health nurse from York , was suspended for six months in May by the NMC after admitting to making offensive comments including racist slurs . But after the Professional Standards Authority appealed the decision , a High Court judge ordered the NMC to strike Ms Hayes off the register .
In a statement , the NMC said it was ‘ committed to learning from this case ’ and apologised for the initial six-month suspension , which it admitted ‘ wasn ’ t the right ’ decision .
As part of a series of pledges , the NMC promised to launch stronger guidance that ‘ carefully ’ considers racism and discrimination by 2022 and a new training package for staff and panellists .
NMC : gaps in guidance and staff training
It also pledged to bring forward proposals for an independent audit of discrimination and diversity in fitness-to-practise cases .
The existing equality , diversity and inclusion training ‘ does not go far enough [ to ensure the ] impact of discriminatory behaviour ’ on patients and the public is ‘ fully understood ,’ the council conceded .
Chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe said the NMC accepted that ‘ things went wrong ’ in the case , ‘ mainly caused by gaps in our guidance and training ’.
More than 120,000 staff risk job loss due to Covid jab mandate
Around 126,000 frontline health and social care staff in England could be at risk of losing their jobs next spring after Covid-19 vaccination becomes mandatory across the sector .
Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid announced that all patient-facing staff working in CQC-regulated settings in England must receive both Covid-19 jabs by April 2022 .
But the Government ’ s impact assessment of the policy warns 73,000 NHS staff , 15,000 independent health sector staff and 38,000 social care staff ( working outside care homes ) may refuse to be vaccinated .
The spring deadline is to allow unvaccinated staff time to receive both doses of the vaccine and ‘ minimise risks to workforce capacity over the winter period ’, the Government said . There will also be medical exemptions available .
Responding to the announcement , RCN chief executive Pat Cullen urged the Government and employers to ‘ continue to engage ’ with vaccine-hesitant staff and support them ‘ to understand the importance of the vaccine and to make that important choice ’.
Fair pay : action needed for diverse workforce
Male nurses receive pay rises quicker than female colleagues
Male nurses are more than twice as likely to move up two pay bands within a decade compared with their female peers , according to a Nuffield Trust report .
The research found 41 % of male nurses had progressed up two pay bands after nine years ’ service compared with 20 % of female nurses .
The report also says black staff are more than twice as likely to experience discrimination from a colleague as white staff . Muslim staff are more than twice as likely as staff of no religion to face discrimination . Those who self-describe their gender are twice as likely to have this experience .
These discrepancies lead to worse patient care and make it harder to hire and retain staff ‘ at a time when more capacity is desperately needed ’, it warns .
Nuffield Trust : Attracting , supporting and retaining a diverse NHS workforce . bit . ly / 3r0LNa6
Clinical news
Combined HRT reduces women ’ s risk of death
HPV vaccine cutting cervical cancer cases by almost 90 %
High-risk gene doubles risk of death from Covid-19
ALAMY X4 / GETTY X2 |
Hormone replacement therapy ( HRT ) reduces risk of early death , a University of East Anglia study has found . Researchers compared 105,99 women aged between 46 and 65 taking HRT with 224,643 non-users of the same age and GP . Risk of death from all causes fell by 9 % for women on combined HRT , but stayed neutral for oestrogen-only therapy . See bit . ly / 3DGsLcG |
There is a substantial reduction in incidence of cervical cancer among girls who receive the human papillomavirus ( HPV ) vaccine , according to research published in The Lancet . It found cervical cancer rates in women who had the vaccine aged 12 to 13 were 87 % lower than in unvaccinated women , This figure was 62 % for women vaccinated at ages 14 to 16 , and 34 % at ages 16 to 18 . See bit . ly / 3l2GlzQ |
Oxford University researchers have pinpointed a single gene that affects cells in the lungs and airways that is responsible for doubling the risk of death from Covid-19 . The gene , LZTFL1 , is found in 60 % of people of South Asian descent . When it is ‘ switched on ’, a patient is twice as likely to suffer Covid-19 respiratory failure . See go . nature . com / 3l1tqhG |
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Winter 2021 nursinginpractice . com |