Cross Party Group on Nursing

Minutes of meeting 4 March 2014

Present

Assembly Members

Rebecca Evans (Chair)                  Welsh Labour

Jeff Cuthbert                                     Welsh Labour

Kirsty Williams                                  Welsh Liberal Democrats

Aled Roberts                                     Welsh Liberal Democrats

Elin Jones                                         Plaid Cymru

Nurse Directors / Others

Helen Whyley                                   Welsh Government Nursing Officer on behalf of the Minister

Rhiannon Beaumont-Wood          Director of Nursing, Public Health Wales 

Ruth Walker                                      Executive Director of Nursing, Cardiff & Vale

Lynda Williams                                 Director of Nursing, Cwm Taf

Denise Llewellyn                             Director of Nursing, Aneurin Bevan

Speakers

Neil Evans                                        Emergency Department Nurse, ABMU

Kelly Downes                                   Patient Safety Improvement Manager

Board Members

Gaynor Jones                                   Chair

RCN Wales Staff

Tina Donnelly                                   Director

Peter Meredith-Smith                      Associate Director (Employment Relations)

Lynne Hughes                                 Policy and Public Affairs Adviser

John Hoddinott                                Policy and Public Affairs Assistant

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Apologies

Assembly Members

Bethan Jenkins                                Plaid Cymru

Gwenda Thomas                             Welsh Labour

David Melding                                  Welsh Conservatives

Simon Thomas                                 Plaid Cymru

Lindsay Whittle                                Plaid Cymru

Edwina Hart                                      Welsh Labour

Gwenda Thomas                             Welsh Labour

David Melding                                  Welsh Conservatives

Lynne Neagle                                   Welsh Labour

Huw Lewis                                        Welsh Labour

Carwyn Jones                                  Welsh Labour

Jocelyn Davies                                 Plaid Cymru

Vaughan Gething                            Welsh Labour

Carl Sargeant                                   Welsh Labour

Angela Burns                                   Welsh Conservatives

Darren Millar                                     Welsh Conservatives

David Rees                                       Welsh Labour

Nurse Directors / Others

Caroline Oakley                               Director of Nursing, Hywel Dda

Carol Shillabeer                               Director of Nursing, Powys

Jean White                                        Chief Nursing Officer, Welsh Government

Sue Morgan                                      Executive Director of Nursing, Velindre NHS Trust

Nicola Ryley                                     Assistant Director of Nursing, Aneurin Bevan

Angela Hopkins                               Director of Nursing, Betsi Cadwaladr

1. Rebecca Evans AM welcomed everyone to the meeting

2. Workforce Planning in the NHS

Peter Meredith Smith introduced the session (slides attached)

Neil Evans, Emergency Department Staff Nurse and Kelly Downes, Patient Safety Manager discussed the pressures that nurses face on the frontline.

Key points discussed in the open forum:

· Recognition that nurses are working incredibly hard but find it difficult to give the best care possible; high levels of patients coming through the door with more complex needs than ever.

· Does the Welsh NHS have sufficient number of nurses with the right mix of skills as well as sufficient number of nurses?

· Nurses find it difficult to access Continuous Professional Development Opportunities (especially in Wales – see RCN Employment Survey results).

· Feedback regarding LHBs - staff that are off sick, suspended or student nurses are included in LHBs official figures of ‘working’ nurses.

· We need to look at acuity and dependency of patients on the ward/ department rather than just the number of nurses. The minimum number must not become the standard number. Nurse leaders need to be able to exercise their professional judgement and ask for more staff if needed. Sisters / Charge nurses need the ability to run their wards.

· Use of bank and agency staff; while temporary staff may address short term staffing difficulties, it was recognised that there are significant disadvantages to long term reliance on agency and temporary staff, including higher costs, and an unfamiliarity with the ward environment, its patients and permanent staff.

· The cost to individual nurses from pressured workloads is important; we are currently allowing our nurses burn out.