In an effort to increase the quality of medical and nursing staff in the country, the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) has decided to amend the International English Language Testing System IELTS requirements for nurses and midwives coming from overseas and within the European Economic Area.

The Government, in an effort to cut down on costs and to bring back nurses into the NHS fold had introduced a pay cap on the amount that an agency could charge for a healthcare professional. The cap came into force in November 2015, at which time the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had said that staffing agencies had been able to “rip off the NHS by charging extortionate hourly rates”. However, in case the trusts felt that there was significant risk to patient safety, they could bypass the pay cap. Beginning November 23, 2015, when the rules first took effect, the “break glass” clause has been used 35,662 times between 228 hospital trusts.

Working shifts can play havoc with your biological clock – till you reach a point where your body’s internal clock cannot decide when you should be awake and when you should sleep. Over time, sleep deprivation can lead to serious consequences – both in terms of your health, as well as your safety. Incidences of circadian misalignment is not healthy for you and has been associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular, metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders, some types of cancer and several mental disorders.

The job of a nurse is never easy and there are multiple factors that can make or break a nurse’s shift – the demands and neediness of a patient’s family members, the behaviour of the patient and, the health and fitness of the nurse itself. With stress being a constant factor, it can lead to nurse’s making mistakes or worse, burning out and quitting the job altogether.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s commitment to transforming health services and making England the first country in the world to deliver a truly seven day NHS, coupled with the Governments drive, could well find nurses going on a strike if payments received for working anti-social hours and weekends come under threat.

From August 01, 2017, nursing and allied health students will no longer have access to NHS bursary. They will instead have to access the standard student support system for their tuition and living fees; in other words, take a loan just like any other student undergoing university studies.

The replacement of NHS bursaries by loans for nursing and allied health professional students was announced by Chancellor George Osborne in November 2015. Starting August 01, 2017, new nursing and allied health students will have to access the standard student support system to cover their tuition fees and means-tested support for living costs. Repayment of this loan will be similar to those taken by other student loans taken for university studies. Currently, once a graduate starts earning over £21,000, the loan repayment starts - amounting to 9% of income over £21,000. In case the income drops below £21,000, the repayment process stops. This continues for 30 years, after which, in case of any outstanding amount, the same is written off.

It’s that time of the year again – the moving season, and you are probably looking for houses to shift into. We, at The Flame Lily, understand how difficult and harrowing this process can be. You have found your dream home and now need to get a mortgage to secure it – a stressful process even for those with all the time in the world on their hands. We know that the hours you work, leaves you with little time to find and follow up on such matters. We appreciate your dedication and salute your commitment to your profession, and the company. The Flame Lily has always strived to make life as comfortable as possible for you. In keeping with our commitment to making your lives better and easier, we have collaborated with mortgage providers and can definitely help those of you who are looking for one.

Announced by the chancellor, George Osborne, at his summer budget last year, the national minimum wage new rates for 2016 have been increased by 50p more than the previous year’s rate.