All Ireland Chief Nursing Officers Conference – Dublin Castle 2016

Reflections and take aways

  • Dr Siobhan O’Halloran, opening speaker Chief Nursing Officer.  @chiefnurseIRE.  Global nurse shortage. We need a global response. We need to attract more nurses to the profession.  Nursing in the community is a the future model.  ‘We need to speak about the NHS and HSC with pride.’  We need to avoid micro specialism.  Ordinary people can have super power.  What type of superpower do you have?  With power comes responsibility.  Caring is nurtured  as the absolute essence of nursing.  ‘When you are a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours’
  • Mr Simon Harris TD, Minister of Health.  At the core of nursing is care.  How you care with someone stays with them and their families. Initiative to identify and reinforce core values in the nursing profession.  These values underpin practice.  Patient safety paramount in nursing practice.  Transparency makes the system safer.  National patient safety office launches this week.  To deliver appropriate safe staffing is needed.  Staffing structure is everybody’s business. We need to address global nurse shortage.  Recruit and retain.  Relocation package for Irish Nurses to return from overseas, 1500.
  • Michelle O’Neill,  Health Minister NI. We need to focus on the positives.  Our system is outdated.  Need for transformation. Committed to tackling health inequalities. Early intervention and prevention.  Since 2010 an underinvestment in student nurses.  100 new nurse places this year and 17/18 further increase.  Nursing bursary will continue in NI.  Welcoming new nurses from overseas while highlighting need to focus on local recruitment.  Mental health is a top priority, including eating disorders and suicide.

Keynote speaker

  • Professor Linda Aikin.   ‘Using evidence to inform practice and policy.’ Using scientific data to effect practice.  Not all hospitals are the same, 100% differences in mortality rates!  (2014).  Looking at patient to nurse average workloads in Ireland, 6 patients per nurse (range 4.8 -7.9). Staffing affects mortality.   NURSING SKILL MIX, 72% Nurses at the bedside in Ireland.  NHS England much lower introducing the Nursing Associate. DESKILLIING occurs, increased risk of patient death 12%, adverse patient outcomes, infections and falls. The business case substituting associates for nurses does not add up. 57% of nurses in Ireland have a bachelors degree, research evidences it lowers the mortality rate.  Suggests Ireland consider recruiting Individuals who already have a degree and create a pathway. 64% of nurses in Ireland were not confident management will resolve reported care problems. ‘shocking.’  In summary ‘evidence based nurse staffing is a high value investment and establishing safe nursing staffing is in the publics best interest.’
  • Professor Carol Curran, OBE.  Chair mid morning session.
  • Professor Cathy Warwick CBE, Royal College of Midwives, London. NICE guidelines on maternity staffing.  Good levels of training levels, 300 Midwives into the UK workforce each year.
  • Peter Griffiths, Chair of Health Services Research.  ‘Nurse staffing and patient outcomes: building an economic case.’  Need to consider cost and consequences. How much better, at what cost? Hospital financial costs, societal costs.  There  are issues with the evidence, models are built on many assumptions.  ‘BEST GUESS.’ Policy decisions can still be made.

 

Break out sessions

  • The impact on Health outcomes from nurse staffing decisions – Professor Linda Aikin.
  • Implementation of safe nurse staffing policy into practice – Ms Lisa Skeet.
  • Research evidence underpinning safe staffing – Professor Jonathan Drennan.
  • Deputy Chief Nursing Officer – Department of Health, Ireland.  Chair afternoon.
  • Ms Lisa Skeet, Director of the safe staffing healthy workplaces unit, New Zealand. Care capacity demand management  (CCDM).  Quality Patient Care,  Quality work Environment, best use of Health Resources. Right staff in the right place at the right time delivering quality care with the best use of resources. Variance response management. Colour coded response, guidance at each stage.
  • Professor Charlotte McArdle, Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health, Northern Ireland. CLOSING REMARKS.