Hunt crosses swords with nursing union over training
The government says the RCN must work to improve standards instead of as a union for nurses after they hit out at new training plans.
Viewers describe poor nursing care all over the UK
As the government and nursing unions fight over how best to improve care, ITV News asked viewers to share their experiences.
Health Secretary heckled over NHS staffing claims
Nurses gave Andrew Lansley a tough time today as he tried to defend reforms of the health service.
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NHS managers who ignore concerns could face action
The government will consider proposals which would punish senior NHS managers with criminal sanctions if they ignore concerns raised by whistleblowers
Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter has told Daybreak that the coaltion is looking to introducing a "new culture of openness" in the NHS to prevent poor quality care.
Student nurses 'not protected' by whistleblowing laws
The Royal College of Nursing is calling on the government to extend whistleblowing legislation to student nurses.
The union claims that the current Public Interest Disclosure Act doesn't cover training nurses who raise concerns about patient care.
The government said it would consider the proposal, as it seeks to implement some of the recommendations made in the public inquiry into the poor standards of care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
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Nurses 'have duty to speak out' in interest of patients
Speaking to ITV News, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing said sometime things will go wrong in the NHS. But it was important to create a culture where it can be put right.
Hundreds of nurses 'unclear' over whistleblowing policy
According to the survey by the Royal College of Nursing:
- A third of nurses questioned said they didn't know whether their organisation had a whistle blowing policy
- Of the 64% who had raised concerns, nearly one in ten said they had raised concerns as little as a week ago
- Nearly half of the concerns raised were about staffing levels
- 21% were about patient safety
- 45% of nurses who had raised concerns said their employer took no action
Nurses still 'fear repercussions' over whistleblowing
One of the key recommendations made by the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiry chair, Robert Francis QC, was that concerns and complaints should be able to be raised "freely without fear".
These responses illustrate that despite the recent attention which has been drawn to the importance of whistle blowing, many nurses are still experiencing a culture of fear and intimidation if they try to speak out.
This is putting patient safety at risk. One of the key lessons from the Francis report was that frontline staff must feel confident that they can raise concerns about patient safety without fear of reprisals.
– Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the RCNNursing staff want to provide excellent care, but sometimes the systems they work in do not allow this. Staff know what is safe for their patients and what is not.
However, they cannot raise concerns if they feel unsure about what their employer's policy is or what the repercussions will be.
Culture of 'fear and intimidation' over NHS patient care
The Royal College of Nursing says a quarter of nurses have been discouraged about blowing the whistle on concerns over patient care, in spite of the Stafford Hospital scandal. A survey found 24% of nurses said they had been warned off raising concerns.
The nursing union says the figures reveal a "culture of fear and intimidation" at work.
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Hunt crosses swords with nursing union over training
The government says the RCN must work to improve standards instead of as a union for nurses after they hit out at new training plans.
Read the full storyRCN chief: Poor care caused by low levels of staff
ITV News Presenter Mary Nightingale asked the Royal College of Nursing chief Dr Peter Carter what was so "stupid" about plans for trainee nurses to work as healthcare assistants.
He said the problem with poor care was caused by low levels of staff and overwhelming workloads for nurses.
Read: Viewers describe their experiences of poor nursing care in NHS hospitals all over the UK
Government and nursing unions fight over training
The government has been defending plans to force trainee nurses to work as healthcare assistants, after the head of the Royal College of Nursing called them "really stupid."
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has insisted the government will press ahead, saying they are the "right thing to do" in the wake of the Mid Staffordshire Hospital Scandal. Rupert Evelyn reports on the escalating row over patient care.
Read: Viewers describe poor nursing standards all over the UK
Viewers describe poor nursing care all over the UK
As the government and nursing unions fight over how best to improve care, ITV News asked viewers to share their experiences.
Read the full story