A round-up of news from the professional journals
CNO demoted
England’s chief nursing officer Sarah Mullally is being demoted by the
Government. Under a move planned by NHS chief executive Nigel Crisp, the CNO
will no longer sit on the Department of Health’s board. Crisp wants to replace
its current 15 members with five directors – all believed to be men and
including chief medical officer Professor Sir Liam Donaldson – leaving nursing
without a voice at the department’s top table.
Nursing Times, 21 February
Agency shake-up
The NHS in-house staff agency is to have a new national management structure
in the wake of concerns over its ability to compete with private sector
companies. NHS Professionals will now be run by a special health authority. The
new authority will be in place before the end of the year and will provide a
national service to the NHS.
Nursing Times, 28 February
Cleaner hospitals
Hospital cleanliness and the quality of food offered to patients have
significantly improved, the Government has claimed. The first set of results
from NHS Food Inspections, and the latest ratings from the national hospital
clean-up campaign, show that nearly 60 per cent of hospitals now have
"good" standards of cleanliness and have been graded
"green" under the latest traffic light ratings issued as part of the
clean-up campaign.
Nursing Times, 26 February
