Implementation of new NHS standard hindered by HR staff

The Government’s new Improving Working Lives standard could
be undermined by the lack of credibility that HR staff in the NHS have in
certain regions, claimed a senior nurse at the Improving Working Lives
Conference in Birmingham.

Jo O’Connor, Royal College of Nursing’s regional officer for
the north-west, said, “Some of the people who are now supposed to be Improving
Working lives are those who lowered standards of pay and conditions under the
previous government.

“This could cause major problems at regional levels when it
comes to implementing the standard.”

The Government aims to use the standard to encourage NHS
trusts to adopt flexible working practices to attract  more nurses into the profession.

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By Richard Staines