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The Francis Report
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- The 'named nurse' makes a comeback
- Compulsory annual appraisals for all
- Ward sisters should be supervisory only
- Compassion and care linked to pay
- Regulation of HCAs
Latest articles
Whistleblowing duties
When is it right to raise concerns about insufficient staffing and how should this be done? Roger Kline outlines nurses' legal obligations
Your guide to raising concerns
All registered nurses and midwives owe a duty of care to patients, colleagues and themselves. Your job description and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of conduct set out some of those expectations.
Editorial
Nursing Standard: Time for ministers to listen to staffing levels
After spending 12 months and £13 million, Robert Francis has come up with 290 recommendations that he believes would prevent a repeat of the appalling care given to patients at Stafford Hospital between 2005 and 2009. Ministers have given themselves a month to decide which proposals to embrace and which to reject.
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Nursing Children and Young People: The spotlight is on us all
Children's nurses have been appalled at the extent of the failings in care revealed by the Francis report and are taking time to absorb the recommendations.
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Cancer Nursing Practice: Working for, and with, patients
Reading the report into poor care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust (Francis 2013) was heartbreaking. The practises described went against everything nursing stands for.
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News
Francis calls for 'strong enforcement' of nursing standards
Standards of fundamental nursing care should be agreed, regulated and subject to robust enforcement, according to Robert Francis.
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Government asks trusts to prove patient involvement
Involving children and young people in decision making about the delivery of health care has been made a priority in a long-awaited government report.
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Learn from Stafford inquiry, say leading children's nurses
Nurses working with children and young people must avoid the trap of thinking the lessons from the Stafford Hopistal inquiry do not apply to them, according to nurse leaders.
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Nurse numbers could plummet by 63,000, say government advisers
The number of nurses in England is set to drop by between 3,480 and 63,800 within three years, the government's workforce planning experts predict.
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'Apathy stops many of us from exposing poor care'
The nurse who spoke out about the care failings she witnessed at Stafford Hospital is urging other nurses to name and shame those in the profession who are damaging its reputation.
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Duty of candour makes strong leaders essential
The RCN says strong leadership is essential to prevent recriminations against nurses who raise concerns about poor standards of care.
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Health secretary calls on NHS to reduce the burden of paperwork
Nurses' paperwork could be cut by one third to give them more time with patients, according to plans announced by health secretary Jeremy Hunt.
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Judgement tests could be used to evaluate values and behaviours
The values and behaviours of nurses could be tested every time they try to change jobs, according to England's health education authority.
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RCN moves to reassure nurses as profession comes under fire
The RCN has vowed to support nurses who expose poor care and sought to reassure members of the profession who are maintaining high standards under increasing pressure.
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Authority to check NMC's adjudications
Decisions by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to allow nurses accused of misconduct at Stafford Hospital to stay on the register are to be reviewed.
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Francis advocates compulsory HCA regulation
Healthcare support workers must be subjected to a compulsory system of regulation to protect the public from rogue staff, Robert Francis insists in his report on Mid Staffs.
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Bring back named nurses and set safe staffing levels, inquiry says
Patients should be given a 'named nurse' who is responsible for co-ordinating every aspect of their care on each shift, the Francis report recommends.
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Overhaul for complaints process
A nurse invited by prime minister David Cameron to examine the way patient complaints are handled by the NHS says she will ask patient groups about best practice.
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Courses will help staff challenge ways of working
Thousands of NHS nurses will be offered the chance to attend leadership programmes designed to help them challenge poor practice.
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Pay rises should be linked to quality of care, PM argues
Nurses will have to prove they have delivered compassionate care to qualify for annual pay increments under plans put forward by Robert Francis and endorsed by the prime minister.
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Francis tells trusts to boost the power of ward leaders
NHS trusts have been told they should employ their ward sisters on a supervisory basis.
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Carter insists that splitting the RCN is unlikely to prevent care failings
The leader of the RCN claims a recommendation to split the key functions of the college would not prevent tragedies such as those uncovered at Stafford Hospital.
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Pre-entry work experience idea met with scepticism
Prospective nursing students should undertake at least three months' work experience before starting nurse training, according to the Francis report.
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Campaigners fight on despite claims that hospital is improving
Nursing staff at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust are being encouraged to be proud of their improvements to care.
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Mixed reaction to register for older people's specialist
A distinct part of the nursing register should be created for specialists in the care of older people, according to Robert Francis.
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'CNO on a par with medical director'
Concerns that England's top nurse is no longer in a position to lead the profession are raised by Robert Francis.
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Analysis
Francis report blames NHS for putting costs before patient care
The 1,781-page Francis report has laid bare how failings from the top to the bottom of the NHS has allowed patients to be 'betrayed'.
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Hospitals prepare for further inquiries into high death rates
Nurses will be part of rapid response teams that are to be sent into hospitals to investigate worryingly high death rates.
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'The caring, committed majority of nurses need better support'
The nursing failures laid bare at Stafford Hospital are happening across the country, according to the barrister who led the Mid Staffordshire inquiry.
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The recommendations
Report's vision for nurses and healthcare support workers
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Opinion
What is a 'safe' staffing level?
In light of the Francis report, Jenny Kay explains why new guidelines on minimum staffing numbers are urgently needed.
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Training is just the beginning
Applicants to healthcare courses must not only develop the right skills but have the values to care, says Sir Keith Pearson
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Transparency and good governance
Employment lawyer Duncan Bain discusses the trials ahead for senior nurses and human resource professionals in the healthcare sector.
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Francis report holds lessons for everyone
The revelations in the Francis report are shocking and the conduct of many of those directly involved in patient care is indefensible.
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Wright angle
Stephen Wright's monthly take on nursing in the news looks at the Francis report.
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Voices
Jane Cummings believes that confidence in the profession can be restored.
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Seize the moment
Peter Carter reponds positively to the Francis report into the catalogue of care failings at Stafford Hospital.
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Initial reactions
Read statements from the RCN, UNISON, Royal College of Midwives, BMA, Unite, Foundation Trust Network, National Voices, the NMC, Age UK, TUC, Queen's Nursing Institute, Marie Curie Cancer Care, NHS Confederation, and the Care Quality Commission.
Background
Background on some of the key issues that have been highlighted during the inquiry into the failings in Mid Staffs.
Discussion
We held a Twitter chat on Thursday 14th February to discuss the Francis report's compulsory pre-entry work experience.
Discussion
We held a 'Twitter chat' on Thursday 7th February to discuss the initial reactions to the Francis Report.
The RCN Publishing Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal College of Nursing, the world's largest organisation for nurses. RCN Publishing produces one weekly, eight monthly and two quarterly nursing publications. Nursing Standard, the flagship journal, is the UK's biggest selling weekly for nursing. It is produced by RCN Publishing Company along with a suite of specialist nursing journals - Cancer Nursing Practice, Mental Health Practice, Learning Disability Practice, Nursing Children and Young People, Nursing Management, Emergency Nurse, Nursing Older People, Nurse Researcher and Primary Health Care. RCN Publishing Company also produce the RCN Bulletin, a major source of up-to-the-minute information for RCN members in all specialities, grades and working environments. With the latest nurse vacancies from trusts nationwide, it has become the most cost-effective nurse recruitment magazine available.