Grayling

TheArmChairDetective

Yes, it was also on the national news quite recently.
People not paying into the system but taking advantage of it is probably the biggest danger to the NHS.

TheArmChairDetective

Yet I know nurses who will say that Australia's health system is far superior and I have copies of the Wanted Down Under show to evidence that !!

Bevm

I don't see anything wrong with care assistants as long as they can do the jobs they're trained to do, and don't do ones they aren't, just as I don't have problems with nurses doing jobs that used to be reserved for doctors.

In my local hospital they have different coloured uniforms for care assistants, for all the different types of staff. That should be universal.

Bev

dunroving

Yes, I posted a couple of posts in the "arranging a GP for my daughters" thread, as I thought it was particularly relevant there.

See here.

TheArmChairDetective

Agreed, but I would like to see their job title on the back like the the emergency services people do, just so I don't have to bother working out the colour coded uniforms, which differ from hospital to hospital/NHS Trust to NHS Trust.

chris955

chris955

Absolutely, I cant see it makes any difference as long as, like you say, they are trained to do it.

dunroving

Since nursing became a "degree only" profession, I suppose it makes sense to create a new paramedic level to conduct routine procedures.

Bud the Wiser

Thanks. Interesting comments. I'll look forward to watching it.

Bud the Wiser

Slightly off topic. Since nursing has become a degree profession, as oppose to a minimum 4 '0' levels required in the 70's, one can assume that this is due to medical practises and techniques being more advanced, therefore requiring a higher standard of education.

At the same time however, the government frequently tells us that educational standards have improved and more and more children are going to university and leaving with degrees. If this is true why do so many NHS staff have to be recruited from abroad? Surely there would be enough degree qualified people to fill NHS vacancies.

Really an education question. Perhaps a new thread? The Real UK Education System.

rebs

It's not that you have to have a degree to get a place to train as a nurse (as in your example of the 4 o levels requirement, it's that the training for nurses is now a degree course. The resulting degree is in nursing.

dunroving

I'm not completely familiar with the Nursing and Midwifery Council's reasons for turning nursing into a degree-only profession, but I see an analogy with what happened with teaching in the late 70s. It switched from a "Cert Ed" programme to a "BEd" - subsequently, I think a lot of talented people ended up not entering the profession, and a lot of "intelligent" people entering the classroom without the personality or skills to win over children.

I qualified with a BEd years back and remember very little of the training involving real-life, hands-on education in classroom management. My first teaching practice (called a placement these days, I think) was a bit of a shock, to say the least.

Pit Bull.

My wife's cousins are nurses in Australia, they left the NHS due to increased workload, no pay rises, low morale and not being able to give patients proper care. She also is in contact with some nurses that we met up with when she was in Perth and they all say the conditions are better there than the UK. They also said there was more nurses, not a lot more, but enough to feel the difference, the wife is convinced it will be better there work wise. Is there any nurses on here who know first hand?

holly_1948

It is an NHS philosophy that it is substantially free at the point of service and is not means tested.
Unlike the "Penny in the pound" schemes that preceded the NHS.

As has been pointed out at length, the issues are not contribution record, nor nationality, nor citizenship. The issue is (ordinary) residence. Either one is a legal resident or one is not. Irrespective of nationality this can be from day one of presence in the country, but only if (1) there is a bona fide intention to remain resident and (2) there is a right to be a resident.