How can social media help nurses and midwives communicate?
Date:20/02/2012
Weekly news review: professional representation of council to remain, news from hearings
Pam Nelmes of Plymouth University referenced our advice for nurses and midwives on social networking in her recent piece for Guardian Healthcare.
Pam, a lecturer in critical care, was part of our Social Media Week event panel. She also contributed to the Perspectives feature in NMC Review #4.
Professional representation in Council set to stay
The CHRE announced that nurses and midwives are sure to keep half of the seats on the Nursing and Midwifery Council, even if the total number is reduced from 14 following the strategic review.
As reported in Nursing Standard, CHRE chief executive Harry Cayton said he was sure that half the Council members would be nurses or midwives.
Confidentiality breaches in Dundee
The Daily Record reported on the striking-off of Jennifer Ramsay, a Dundee nurse found to have breached confidentiality by accessing the medical records of friends and relatives.
Ramsay looked at medical records for 12 patients over a 6 month period in 2009. The panel believed this demonstrated Murray's actions were not isolated incidents, but indicated a sustained and deliberate problem.
Struck-off for "catalogue of errors"
The Press & Journal (Aberdeen) reported on the hearing of Ann Pursell, a nurse from Nairn who was struck-off following a series of errors.
While working at the Town and County Hospital, Pursell was found lacking in several fundamental areas of nursing practice, including drug administration, communication, clinical care and record-keeping.
Caution following DNR mistake
The Cambridge Evening News reported on the hearing of Myja Joseph, a Huntingdon nurse who failed to resuscitate an elderly patient, mistakenly believing that she had a Do Not Resuscitate order in place.
Joseph admitted that she had not seen the order, and was acting on the word of the patient's husband and daughter. The panel decided that a caution was appropriate, having heard that she had expressed regret, and taking remedying steps in completing two training courses on CPR.
Fitness to Practise news
The Council heard 27 cases last week, issuing:
- 15 interim suspension orders
- 1 suspension order
- 3 interim conditions of practice orders
- 3 caution orders
- 5 striking off orders.
More information and full reasons can be found on the hearings and outcomes page for February.