Thursday, 23 June 2011

acting up again


And another thing relevant to my post on acting up. Why are trusts so keen to pay premium rates to nurses to do the doctors job, but so reluctant to spend money on ensuring adequate nurse staffing levels on the wards?
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3 comments:

  1. hyperCRYPTICal24 June 2011 at 00:42

    Exactly Dr Zorro!

    I may make myself unpopular with fellow nurses - but what the heck!

    In my field I might know a little (or a lot more) than a GP or general hospital doc - but that is something I specialise in - but that does not make me a doctor. I accept my limitations in that I do not know a lot about lots of things medical for as said - I am not a doctor.

    If I need a hospital app. I want to see a doc - not a nurse. If I need to see a GP - I want to see a GP.

    On the odd occasion when I have seen the practice nurse re my BP - as she waffles on I wonder why she has never updated her knowledge. I do in all the time, that is, update my knowledge.

    I am far from thick Dr Zorro - but I am not a doc and that is all there is to it.

    Anna :o]

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  2. Doctor Zorro24 June 2011 at 10:20

    I hope it does not come across that I think nurses are thick, I don't. The problem is that in the doctor nurse relationship there is often a hierarchical aspect which can distort the point.. My view in the area of who does what could be illustrated by another scenario where there is no such aspect. If you were having building work done would you be happy to have the plumber install the electricals because he might be cheaper?

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  3. the a&e charge nurse24 June 2011 at 11:03

    Dr Zorro - I have no doubt in the insular world of hospital consultant's it would be unlikely if they would be unable to afford either a plumber or electrician, not to mention the fees to have their children educated privately (I'm stereotyping of course, but only slightly).

    In other words the relative financial security of a hospital consultant enables far greater choice compared to the 'average' worker who must make do with £26k pa - now this group may have to cut corners, and may reluctantly accept that a handyman (rather than a fully qualified tradesman) may be able to knock out a few bread & butter jobs?

    I mean is it good value to pay a plumber a £50 call out fee, plus parts to change the washer on a tap when the friendly handyman can do it for half the price?

    By all means get rid of the quacks (if they upset you so much) but these nurses make up a very modest % of the overall nursing workforce so would not make any great difference to conditions on the wards.

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