Alcohol misuse scheme fl awed


Regarding “Clinics to show drunken patients video footage of their appointments” (nursingtimes. net), how will a distinction be made between binge drinkers and those who misuse alcohol owing to serious mental health problems?


The


BIG question


Alcohol misuse and mental health issues can be linked


This sort of behaviour


from healthcare ‘“specialists” could be harmful to this latter group. Anonymous, nursingtimes.net


Managers to blame for A&E trolley waits


The increase in A&E trolley waits starts with the primary care trust’s failure to ensure adequate out-of-hours provision and ends with managers failing to: (a) ensure timely discharge; and ( b) ensure there are enough beds available for emergency admissions (“Hike in A&E trolley waits driven by ‘perfect storm’ of nurse cuts and bed shortages,” nursingtimes.net). Management, as so often


is the case, are content to ignore the problem until a disaster occurs, at which point they will look for clinical staff to blame. Jenny Jones, nursingtimes.net


» To a degree – it’s important the ward environment is kept clean but, if cleaning is impacting on time to care, then


Each week, we will talk about the topical issues of the moment on Twitter, our Facebook page and nursingtimes.net, and get your views. This week, we asked you about nurses undertaking cleaning duties. Here are some of your views


Should cleaning be part of the nurse remit?


The recent report revealing that Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Foundation Trust left nurses to disinfect beds sparked comments from our readers to say they also carry out cleaning duties. So should cleaning be made a nursing task? Would this help to improve infection control or are nurses simply too stretched to take responsibility for this area? What do you think?


Via Facebook » No, that’s what housekeeping is for. Nancy Caralla


something has to be done. We have domestics for a reason. Grant Byrne


If I wanted to be a cleaner, do you think I would have undertaken a three-year university course? Anonymous, nursingtimes. net


» Defi nitely not. We nurses already have so many duties to perform in the clinical area. To divide our attention between patient care and cleaning would be a hazardous compromise. We nurse, not clean. Nosipho Mchunu


Cleaning is absolutely a part of my care to my patients. I always ensure they have a clean and uncluttered (safe) bedspace and environment. However, nurses should not pick up the slack for lack of cleaning staff . Trusts that put this upon their staff are putting more and more pressure on a demoralised workforce and it’s totally unacceptable. Theresa Hamer, Facebook


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» I would not expect to be washing down walls/ sinks and fl oors as a nurse, but I will and do ensure a high standard of basic cleanliness around


the patient’s bed area, treatment room, equipment and so on. If a patient vomits or soils the fl oor I would not hesitate to clean it up after


Join the debate


Keep the patients’ lockers and tables clean and clutter free, but your patients are the priority, and the cleaning should be for cleaners. Yvonne Bates, nursingtimes.net


ensuring the patient is seen to fi rst. Lesley Ollerton


Via nursingtimes.net » I work on a busy ward and feel that in an ideal world all wards should have a housekeeper to assist with cleaning/making beds so qualifi ed nurses can concentrate more on patient care. Lisa Martin


» In my A&E department, the cleaning is nearly always done by nurses. Anonymous


Ensuring the ward/clinical area is clean is surely part of patient care, health and safety, infection control and so on, and it is therefore everyone’s responsibility. Rowena Corbin, nursingtimes.net


Next week, we’re looking at whether people still believe that nurses with degrees are too posh to wash. Get involved in all the conversations at nursingtimes.net/ thebigquestion or @ nursingtimes on Twitter or facebook.com/ nursingtimes


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www.nursingtimes.net / Vol 108 No 36 / Nursing Times 04.09.12 9


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