End of BST: Clocks go BACK

[Cleoriff]

Just a gentle reminder that this Sunday 27th Oct at 2am, British Summer time ends and the clocks go back an hour.

So we all get an extra hour in bed

I always remember this by saying....

"Spring Forward"(In Spring)

"Fall Back" (In Autumn)

[jonsie]

Yes you are quite right @Cleoriff , agency workers at the bank were paid extra although they were away from sensitive data and were mainly filing staff.

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsie wrote:

Yes you are quite right @Cleoriff , agency workers at the bank were paid extra although they were away from sensitive data and were mainly filing staff.

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Not in nursing agencies @jonsie ...if the hospital want a RGN then they are people who have undertaken the same training as any other RGN. So they have access to everything the regular staff have. No point hiring an agency nurse to run a ward at night, if they have no access to medicine cupboards including dangerous drugs. The pay is better as well. This is why many nurses choose to do agency work than be restricted to NHS pay rates and holidays. Work when you like and get more money.

(Bit off topic, but  it's my thread and I don't care)

[pgn]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

(Bit off topic, but  it's my thread and I don't care)

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That streak of rebellion there again  Now that we are well up Uluru in our Off-Topicness.. 

So many people here look to enter the nursing profession, as we discovered recently at a meeting for people seeking to apply for nursing, midwifery or mental nursing places at the local university... The "personal statement" of these potential candidates is a key part of the admissions process. Pressure, pressure.

What you describe, @Cleoriff, seems so much like internal vs private market - is it going more towards contract vs real staff? 

[Cleoriff]

Nurse staffing levels have always been the Catch 22 in any hospital @pgn 

They have the biggest slice of the budget for obvious reasons, therefore come October when the departments realise their budget is overstretched, they make cutbacks, and it's nursing which takes the 'fall'.

So then we have the 'can't cope' scenario where lack of nurses causes massive problems, particularly with the onset of winter.  This is when management has to turn to the agency. Agency nurses cost the hospital more money, so then they are told to cut back on agency staff...and so it goes on with this 'wheel turning' and the hospitals staggering under the weight. 

The NHS already contract out many of their ancillary services, i.e catering, laundry, building works etc etc etc. Usually accepting the lowest tender. (you get what you pay for)

Nursing isn't contracted out BUT has to manage on the lowest numbers possible. As a ward sister, you may think you are well staffed on one day and then the call comes from the manager and staff have to move elsewhere.

Imagine trying to care for 32 patients and have only 5 nurses per shift? Nights are worse. Rarely more than 3 nurses on duty at any one given time.

This is the reason nurses leave the profession. The stress of being unable to do their very best for patients in their care. Also the reason many go to the agencies. You don't have the bonus of holiday pay or maternity leave etc. However you CHOOSE when and where you work. With the money being better it makes up for other things.

On the other hand the downside for NHS staff is, agency nurses, no matter how well qualified, cause problems as they don't know the ward, patients, routine etc. So you could spend half a shift running around after them.

As I said, Catch 22... and now I will step off my soapbox.

[pgn]

Thank you, @Cleoriff. Sounds like the soapbox needed an airing 😃

This lowest tender thing is OK, I guess, but the whole thing flounders when the contractor and the service managers get tied up in SLA - keeping tabs on provision of service and the service level agreement can take more time than using in-house staff who know the lie of the land.

As for nursing, as younger daughter, now 18, is aiming for that, I hope she gets good enough results in A-levels this year, and makes a good enough personal statement on her application to her chosen branch of nursing, to get on her chosen course. She's already spent some time volunteering in the local hospital to know how to spot the various ranks and types of nurse... It's all down to results next.

[Cleoriff]

@pgn 

Best of luck to your daughter. Hopefully she will love nursing as much as I did.

For all my ranting above, I would make the same career choice if I had my time again.

I went into nursing at time when no qualifications were required, if you entered a cadet scheme at 15.

This was actually a great way of entry back then, as you spent 50% of the time in academic study to bring you to grammar school level and the other 50% of time on the wards and departments.

You had to take an exam to get onto the cadet scheme (age 15) and an exit exam to take you into PTS (Pre Training School) at 17. A further year of study and another exam to pass before you entered the 'hallowed halls' of Nurse Training at 18. Then another 3 years of study and rotating through wards and departments, with exams every year until you were 21.

Then came the big one. The State Finals. If you passed those exams you were officially a state registered nurse (SRN)

If you wanted to progress academically, as I did, you then needed to do this after qualifying as a nurse.

(bear in mind, this was in the 60's) I never stopped studying really. Diplomas and Degrees came to us when we were married with kids to bring up.

After I got my degree my husband said 'Good for you, now can we have the dining room table back please' 

Ah 'the good old days'....

[ComaChameleon]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

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@ComaChameleon wrote:

My boyfriend has to work one hour more 😂 

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Always worse for those on nights @ComaChameleon  I know...been there, done that!

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Worst for him, it's with his "favourite collegue" XDDD 

[jonsie]

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@ComaChameleon wrote:

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@Cleoriff wrote:

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@ComaChameleon wrote:

My boyfriend has to work one hour more 😂 

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Always worse for those on nights @ComaChameleon  I know...been there, done that!

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Worst for him, it's with his "favourite collegue" XDDD 

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Sounds like a fun hour

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsie wrote:

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@ComaChameleon wrote:

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@Cleoriff wrote:

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@ComaChameleon wrote:

My boyfriend has to work one hour more 😂 

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Always worse for those on nights @ComaChameleon  I know...been there, done that!

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Worst for him, it's with his "favourite collegue" XDDD 

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Sounds like a fun hour

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and an even worse night.....

[Anonymous]

Just sorted all the manual clocks round here, including my alarm clock which is actually designed for the deaf as it is 120 dB and has red flashing LEDs on the front as I tend to sleep through normal alarms though my phone was sufficient to wake me when I went away.