A round-up of our news from the professional journals
Cleaning jobs cut
A 50 per cent cut in the number of cleaning and domestic staff in Northern
Ireland since 1990 is putting patients at risk and placing an extra burden on nursing
staff, according to unions. Figures published in the NI Health and Personal
Social Services Workforce Census show the number of cleaners, domestics and
other support workers, fell from 10,079 whole time equivalents (WTE) in March
1990, to 5,134 this year.
Nursing Standard, 4 October 2002
Walk-in centres
Nurse-led walk-in centres have had their budgets reduced because of concerns
that they are too expensive. Some have been forced to cut services while others
are spending beyond their means to sustain service levels.
Nursing Times, 30 September 2002
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer has become the most common form of cancer among men. The
number of new cases increased by 50 per cent between 1990 and 1996, overtaking
lung cancer as the biggest threat to men. Research from the Office for National
Statistics found that the number of new cases of lung cancer in men has dropped
to around 25 per cent of those figures recorded in the late 1970s.
Nursing Times, 26 September 2002
