Nursing plans come under fire

Plans under which those with community nursing jobs and other staff in the NHS will be able to choose whether to leave their roles have come under fire.

Workers have until the end of October, to decide whether or not they depart from their positions in exchange for a year's salary.

Trusts are being asked to set up panels comprising finance and human resources directors among other people in order to assess whether applicants should qualify for the measures.

Responding to the idea, one expert said it may have a detrimental impact on community nursing and other services, the Nursing Times reports.

Anne Duffy, director of the Community and District Nursing Association, claimed it does not make sense to ask nurses to decide whether or not to leave their jobs before they know how they would fit into the new arrangements.

She went further to describe the plans affecting those with community nursing jobs and other personnel as unacceptable.

Ms Duffy said: "It's a disgrace when you think of all of the education and the professional development, and the billions that have been spent on training staff over the years. It's the most senior staff that they are - and will be - letting go.

"They will soon have a health service run only by healthcare assistants and domiciliary care staff."

Her comments were supported by those made by Sheila Urquhart from Bradford District Care Trust, which runs a number of centres, including Castleberg Hospital and Fieldhead House.

She suggested that making those involved in community nursing and other professionals come to a decision in such a short space of time was "unethical".

The industry practitioner added: "What I would be concerned about is the number of nurses who might be really tempted by this without thinking it through properly. If they are over 50 they might have a difficult time getting another job."

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