Earlier this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he took ‘full responsibility’ for the actions his government took after the UK’s COVID death toll passed 100,000.

He said he was “deeply sorry for every life lost” and the "did everything that we could to minimise suffering and minimise loss of life in this country as a result of the pandemic". But he said it was too soon to learn the lessons from the pandemic response.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has admitted that England got key parts of its coronavirus response wrong. He highlighted medical advancements, while also admitting the Government acted too slowly on policies such as face masks rules.

Labour also criticised the prime minister for making "monumental mistakes" in delaying acting on scientific advice over lockdowns three times.

"A legacy of poor decisions"

Poor decisions made by the UK before and during the pandemic led to one of the worst death rates in the world, scientists have said.

Public health expert from the University of Edinburgh, Prof Linda Bauld, said the UK's current position was "a legacy of poor decisions that were taken when we eased restrictions".

Speaking to the BBC she said the lack of focus on test and trace and the "absolute inability to recognise" the need to address international travel led to a more deadly spread of the virus and also bringing in new strains.

Prof Sir Michael Marmot, who carried out a review of inequalities in Covid-19 deaths, said the UK had entered the pandemic "in a bad state" with rising health inequality, a slowdown in life expectancy improvements and a lack of investment in the public sector.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth rejected Mr Johnson's claim that he had done "everything we could" to minimise the death toll, adding: "I do not accept that." He said the prime minister had been given scientific advice to impose lockdowns and "pushed that back" - not only in March but again in September and December.

The government also failed to create a working contact-tracing system, did not introduce effective health controls at the borders and still did not offer "proper sick pay", he said.

The UK could still face a further 50,000 more coronavirus deaths, a scientist has told the government.

'Sickened' NHS doctor scolds Boris Johnson after 'we did everything we could' comment

An NHS doctor has torn into Boris Johnson on Good Morning Britain after being left 'sickened' by his 'we did everything we could' comment. Dr Rachel Clarke, a palliative care doctor and author, blasted Boris for that comment, calling it an outright "lie."

"I was absolutely sickened when I heard him say that because it was patently and obviously a lie," Dr Clarke told Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid.

"He didn't lockdown promptly, he didn't close our boarders, he didn't protect our care homes, he threw vulnerable people to the wolves in care homes.

"He didn't do any of the things first time around that could have helped, and worse, he repeated the same mistakes the second time around.”

"All of us as doctors we are used to making difficult decisions and having to look people in the eye and say 'I'm sorry I have to tell you your loved one is dying' - we can't shirk that, that's leadership, that's being tough and doing a good job.”

"Boris Johnson stands up in front of the cameras and he doesn't even have the decency to brush his hair and he looks the country in the eye and he doesn't tell the truth.”

"It's heart-breakingly bad right now, it is so much worse than the first wave. First of all, staff are running on empty. They are broken, many have post-traumatic stress disorder from first time around," Dr Clarke said.

"Sometimes colleagues can even express suicidal thoughts because it is so hard. The hospitals are full to breaking point. Often the patients seem younger. Sometimes we have patients in their 20s and 30s in intensive care.”

"Pregnant women in intensive care with no other illnesses just coronavirus. Sometimes we will see three generations of one family in intensive care. They mixed at Christmas and now literally three generations you see them die one after another.”

"That is unimaginably bad. Before Christmas we were screaming from the rooftops 'please lockdown, please lockdown properly' and it didn't happen so here we are now with over 100,000 deaths - and part of the trauma for staff is that it didn't have to be like this."

When asked about the government's "legacy of poor decisions", Mr Johnson said ministers followed scientific advice and did everything they could to minimise suffering. He said there were "no easy solutions" but the UK could be proud of its efforts to distribute the vaccine.

Next month, we hope to see a detail of how the government will start lifting the lockdown, a senior government source told the BBC.

It will include factors such as the number of hospitalisations and deaths, the progress of the vaccination programme, any changes to the virus and the impact easing restrictions might have on the epidemic - but will be dependent on emerging data about how effectively the vaccine stops the virus spreading.

The UK has the highest death rate in Europe and is the fifth country to pass 100,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.

NHS healthcare workers are being pushed above and beyond their limits as a result of the rising no. of COVID-19 cases, limited resources and staff shortages.

Staff are both emotionally and physically exhausted and the psychological effects of the pandemic will have a lasting impact on their mental health. The impact of other pandemics such as the SARS is well noted, with increased rates of depression, burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety.

Early warning walls were available on the impact of COVID-19 from China and Singapore. Data published from these countries detailed the mental effects the pandemic was having on healthcare workers. Mix this with pre-existing rates of stress-related illness, high suicide rates compared to other occupations and we have a perfect storm. With all this data available the UK was still unprepared.

To assess the factors associated with staff burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic a study of 2,707 healthcare workers identified these to be:

1. Feeling pushed beyond training
2. Exposure to Covid-19 patients
3. Making life-prioritising decisions

To deal with the intensity of the current wave, many staff have been redeployed again to areas such as ICU, with limited experience and training, with increased exposure to Covid-19 patients, and senior staff increasingly having to make life-prioritising decisions, such as whether someone is suitable to be admitted to ICU and go on a ventilator. Staff are doing this day-in and day-out, for months. It is not difficult to understand why our workforce is burning out.

A senior nurse based in a London emergency department reported to the Independent “We were seven short this morning. Some are sick with Covid, some are isolating and some have been off for weeks for mental health reasons. Every day we are relying on the goodwill of colleagues to come in to do extra shifts.”

“The extra support we had in the first wave, with free food, transport, and extra pay for additional shifts has been scrapped. Many of us are not from the UK, feel isolated and drained, and haven’t seen our families for eight or nine months. I have never seen so many nurses cry during shifts. Every shift is a struggle.”

Some healthcare workers have been forced to take prolonged sick leave for mental health reasons or have even resigned. “I have already been off long term for mental health reasons and I became so unwell, I attempted to take my own life,” another nurse said. “On my return, I’m being pushed to be redeployed. I was told I had a job to do and to get on with it. Many of us felt like lambs to the slaughter.”

The support provided to staff during the first wave, such as free parking, food, accommodation, access to psychologists and wellbeing hubs, is no longer in place at most trusts, at a time when the staff need it the most.

A report from the Royal College of Nursing Research Society in May 2020 showed 24% of 4,063 nurses and midwives across the UK, surveyed between 28 April and 12 May, said they were suffering severe or extremely severe depression. This is a dangerous situation for a profession that already had a high suicide rate before Covid-19 struck.

One senior nurse said: “I feel sorry for some of the junior staff. I remember I had to teach someone over the phone how to do non-invasive ventilation, as we didn’t have enough staff and I just couldn’t leave.”

“When junior nurses ask for help and feel overwhelmed, sometimes they are left by themselves to get on with it, as there just isn’t enough support. After months of this, I was forced to take a period of sick leave as I couldn’t cope anymore and felt so guilty.”

The pandemic has also had an impact on the next generation of doctors and healthcare workers. Many postgraduate exams are being cancelled or postponed as have some speciality recruitment interviews, which trainees have dedicated months preparing for. The uncertainty, unpredictability and the detriment to their career pathway has also contributed to psychological distress and burnout.

The goodwill of staff, on which the NHS has run on for many years, is running out. Over the coming weeks and months, the Covid surge is likely to continue. The government, key policy makers and local/national stakeholders must ensure that the mental health of staff is not neglected in the face of the rising Covid admissions and deaths, and that adequate support is in place to curb an impending mental health epidemic in the UK – the aftermath of which may see many staff members off on long-term sick leave or resigning completely.   

If you’re concerned about yourself, a loved one or a colleague the NHS offers an urgent mental health helpline. To find your local helpline please visit https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/mental-health/find-an-urgent-mental-health-helpline.  

For a full list of mental health services available from charities, organisations and support groups please visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/.

As we begin to feel the effects of a second wave of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic it can be extremely daunting for key workers to leave their home and go into work.
This page will give you some helpful tips on how to keep calm, focused and take care of your mental health and well-being.

During the coronavirus pandemic key workers (aka critical workers) and those whose are unable to work from home are required to go into their place of work.
Working under new conditions and might not be so easy and many can find it hard to cope with the new way of life. However, by doing small things for yourself you can make a massive difference to your mental health.

Understand difficult feelings and emotions

Going into work during the coronavirus pandemic might make if feel like a difficult and stressful time. Some of these feelings maybe new, or things you've experienced in the past. There is no right or wrong way to feel or react to your situation. But these are some common feelings that you might experience during this time:

Stress
Going into work during coronavirus might make you feel stressed, for example if you:
- come into contact with a lot of people, including those who may have coronavirus
- have more work to do or you are working longer hours than you normally would
- feel uncertain about keeping your job or worried about money

Some of these effects will be felt straight away. Other effects could take longer to notice, including after the stressful event has ended.

Anxiety
Feelings of anxiety may be felt because you are worried about your own health or the health of those around you, including those who you care for or live with. On top of this you may also have other worries such as losing your job or financial difficulties as a result of the coronavirus.

Guilt
If you are worried about spreading coronavirus you may feel guilty about going into work or you may feel guilty if your response to a particular situation was different to those around you or how you would have normally reacted.
But we all react to difficult situations in different ways, so it's important to be kind to yourself. These are unprecedented times and the first for all of us.

Anger
You might feel anger about having to go into work during coronavirus. This may be because:
- you have to go into work when others do not
- you have to keep working in an environment where you may catch coronavirus
- you don't feel supported by your employer to do your job
- you don't have the right equipment to do your job
- there are a lot of major changes in your life, including at work

When most of us experience anger, it doesn't have a big effect on our lives. Anger only becomes a problem when it gets out of control and harms you or the people around you.

Learning healthy ways to deal with anger can help your mental and physical health. Mind have some useful tips on how you can cope with anger.

Taking care of your mental health and wellbeing

Taking care of your mental health and wellbeing is vital in helping you cope if you are going into work during coronavirus. Working long hours or under a lot of pressure can make this even more challenging to do.
Doing small things for yourself can make a big difference to your mental wellbeing. These are some ideas you can try:

Connect with people
Talk to someone you can trust and rely on. Just by telling someone how you feel can make a difference even though they can’t change the situation.
Make plans to video chat with people or groups you enjoy the company of. Keeping in touch with others as much as you can be helpful and help you take your mind off things.

Use available support
It’s okay to ask for help if you are struggling with your mental health. You could talk to a helpline or listening service about your mental health:
Call, text or email Mind's Infoline for information and signposting to support your mental health
If you want to talk to someone at any time about how you're feeling, you can call Samaritans on 116 123
If you prefer not to talk, Shout has a textline supporting key workers and their mental health during coronavirus. Text the word KEYWORKER to 85258

Be cautious with news and information
Make sure you are getting your news from trusted sources. If news stories make you feel anxious or confused, think about switching off or limiting what you look at for a while.
Social media could help you stay in touch with people but might also make you feel anxious. This may include people sharing news stories that you want to avoid, or posting their worries about coronavirus. Consider taking a break or limiting how you use social media.

Make time for yourself where possible
It may feel very difficult to make time for yourself while you are working, particularly if you are working more than usual or if you are under a lot of pressure. You may feel guilty about relaxing while your colleagues are working. But making time for yourself is important for your physical and mental health. Try to use the time when you're not working to take care of yourself, as this can help you keep going when you are at work.

Mind have put together some ideas you could try:

Find ways to relax - If you're finding it difficult to switch off from work, try some relaxation exercises which you can try at home or if you are taking a break at work.
Do something you enjoy - Having something else to focus on outside work can help you stay well. This could be something small, like reading a book, colouring, having a video chat with a friend, having a bath or listening to music.
Try mindfulness- Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing exercises and yoga. It has been shown to help people become more aware of their thoughts and feelings. This means that instead of being overwhelmed by your feelings, it becomes easier to manage them.

See Mind’s pages on mindfulness for more information, including some mindfulness exercises that you could try.

Try to keep active
Try to build physical activity into your daily routine, if possible. There are options for most ages and abilities. This includes things you can do in your home, as well as activities to try outdoors.

Getting active at home
These are lots of different ideas you could try for getting active around the house, including:
- cleaning your home
- dancing to music
- going up and down stairs
- seated exercises
- online exercise workouts that you can follow
- sitting less – if you notice you've been sitting down for a long time, just getting up or changing position can help

Getting active outdoors
If you are getting active outdoors, the current Government guidance for most of us is to stay a safe distance (at least 2 metres) from any people you don’t live with.
If you are self-isolating, the guidance is that you should not leave your house, even for exercise. But you can exercise in your garden, if you have one.

Look after your physical health
It may feel difficult to take care of your physical health if you're feeling busy or stressed. But looking after your physical health can have a big effect on your mental health. There are many small changes you can try to take care of your overall wellbeing:

Think about your sleep - establish a routine around bed time, to help set a regular sleeping pattern. Give yourself some tech-free time before sleep, avoiding bright screens. Practice a relaxation exercise before you go to bed. Make sure where you sleep is as comfortable as possible.

Eat regularly and stay hydrated - think about your diet. Your appetite might have changed since the start of lockdown. This may be because your routine has changed, for example if you’re working more than usual. If possible, try to eat regular meals and keep a balanced diet, as this can help your mood and energy levels. See our tips on food and mood for more information.

Drink water regularly - drinking enough water is important for your mental and physical health. Changing your routine might affect when you drink or what fluids you drink.

If you need to self-isolate because you have symptoms of coronavirus, you can ask someone to drop off essential food items for you. If they do this, ask them to leave food at your doorstep, to avoid face-to-face contact with each other. You may find that supermarkets feel busier than usual at the moment. If you're feeling anxious about going to the supermarket, arrange an online delivery.

Think self-care, sleep, routine, rest. You may find yourself working longer hours or more shifts so take care of your physical health as best you can.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we work, live, socialise, shop and travel on a scale we would never have thought.

Working in healthcare is demanding on any day, but with the pressure COVID-19 brings, it is more important now than ever to look after our mental health and well-being. Many healthcare workers have worked extremely long hours and under extreme high pressure. Many would have also been exposed to traumatic situations or faced with moral dilemmas as result of poor staffing levels, lack of proper equipment or confusion with new guidelines. The risk of long-term psychological issues arising from such situations is worrying for healthcare workers.

It’s natural for anyone working in the healthcare industry today to feel anxious and stressed, it is one of the most challenging industries and one that is faced with constant change and uncertainty.

Follow our five steps to help healthily cope with stress. 

1. Talk
Never has talking been more important. Everyone is going through change as a result of COVID-19. Talking helps to ease your worries and help you see things from a different point of view.
If you are feeling worried, scared or helpless at work, have a chat with your manager or a member of the senior team, it will help them see things from view and provide the support you require. If you don’t feel confident to be able to do that, there are people you can speak to via NHS recommended helplines.

Talking to close friends and family is also good as they can help to give you advice and sometimes it’s nice to talk to people outside of your work without the fear of being judged or worry about any implications your concerns may have.

It’s equally important to keep talking to your students and check-in with them of how they are feeling. Young minds are constantly developing and taking in new information, however many of them won’t have the emotional capacity to handle or healthily process this.

If you can encourage all the staff to adopt the same practices, it can help the well-being of the whole workplace.

2. Stay connected
You may find yourself locked away due to the ever-increasing number of restrictions and overtime find that you are out of touch with friends and family. Technology surrounds us, so there are lots of ways you can remain connected. WhatsApp, video calls via Zoom, Skype, Google Duo and Facetime to name just a few and various social media platforms can all help you from feeling isolated. And, if social media becomes too overwhelming then it’s okay to disconnect for a while. 

3. Stick to a routine
Whilst there is disruption around us, you must stick to a normal routine. Do the things you would usually do (as much as the restrictions allow). This includes keeping on top of basic things like shopping, cleaning, laundry, eating, sleeping and exercising. If you keep up with the little things, you’ll be able to handle new changes and extra tasks that come your way.

 4. Don’t be hard on yourself

Each day we are all facing new situations, no-one knows what the future holds, all we can do is our best. As a healthcare professional you are fully trained, qualified and experienced so never doubt yourself. You wouldn’t be hard on your patients when you are treating and supporting them, so why be hard on yourself?

If you find yourself having to take on more responsibilities, or work a different way. i.e. treating patients via online videos, try to keep what you are doing simple. Don’t over complicate your work or do things that are not necessary, keeping to the basics will help keep the pressure off yourself.

5. Take time out for yourself
Regularly taking some time out for your physical well-being is vital.
Find a few minutes in the day for a bit of peace or get some fresh air. Even if it means taking 10 minutes out to eat lunch without having any distractions around you. this will do wonders in easing your mind, refocus and help to keep you calm and in control.

When you’re not at work, it’s important to take your mind of ‘work’ by finding something to distract yourself with. There are lots of things you can do which don’t require a lot of investment, such as:
- Going for walks, bicycle rides or even a class at the gym. If going out is not an option; join a fitness class online
- Jigsaw puzzles – doing a bit at a time will give you the motivation to complete it
- Painting, making a collage, embroidery, pottery
- Playing an instrument – there are lots of tutorials on YouTube
- Cooking, learning a new dish or just experimenting with different foods. There are tonnes of social media groups, recipes and videos online showing you step by step guides

Whatever you do, remember the time is for you, no one else. It’s tempting to keeping looking at our phones, to stop temptation, switch off your phone and leave it another room.

We all need time to reflect, relax and recharge; after all, we’re only human.

Further guidance and support can be found by visiting the following websites.

The government’s guidance on mental health and well-being - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-public-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing?priority-taxon=774cee22-d896-44c1-a611-e3109cce8eae

Macmillan Cancer Support - Emotional Health and Well-Being for Health and Social Care Professionals - https://www.macmillan.org.uk/coronavirus/healthcare-professionals/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support

MIND is a leading mental health charity that provides support to anyone experiencing mental health problems - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coping-as-a-key-worker/

NHS practitioner help supports the well-being of all NHS staff  - https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/covid-19-workforce-wellbeing

Royal College of Nursing has published COVID-19 guidance on mental health care delivery - https://www.rcn.org.uk/clinical-topics/mental-health/covid-19-guidance-on-mental-healthcare-delivery

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£870 raised for the mental health charity MIND

TLTP Medical frontline carers go above and beyond the call of duty

Taking care of your mental health during lockdown

At TLTP recognising our employees and supporting them to climb the career ladder is one of our core values. We pride ourselves in supporting all our employees to reach their full potential and in doing so we have a strong and loyal workforce.

This month we are delighted to recognise two members of our medical team who over recent months have gone over and above the call of duty to ensure all of their clients and candidates needs have been met, especially during the tough times we are facing.

Phoebe Bone and Vicky Bates, both valued members of the medical primary care team have excelled in their roles and it is a pleasure to promote them to Principal Recruitment Consultant.

Phoebe joined TLTP in September 2014 originally working in the Education division to support schools with their recruitment needs. After a successful five years, an opportunity became available to work within the primary care team in the Medical division. Phoebe grabbed this with both hands and needless to say she flourished ever since.

Vicky Bates joined TLTP in April 2015, her previous background in medical recruitment made her a natural fit for our medical division. Over the years Vicky has played an instrumental part in supporting the growth of various NHS projects and strengthening relationships with key clients.

Together, both Phoebe and Vicky lead the day to day running of the primary care team for Hertfordshire and Essex, and most recently supporting their co-workers in our domiciliary care division; TLTP Care to ensure the highest standards of patient care is delivered.

Being able to promote from within gives us immense satisfaction knowing that our workforce is growing, developing and creating new opportunities for everyone in the business.
We thank them for all their hard work, consistent effort, loyalty and the value they add to the company.

We wish them the very best of luck in their new roles.

Lisa Camp – Medical & Care Managing Director
Darryl Mydat – Chief Executive Officer

Interested in a career within recruitment? Find out more about how you can work for us.

London Teaching Pool Ltd. (TLTP Medical) has successfully been awarded accredited supplier status on the Workforce Alliance Provision of Clinical and Healthcare Staffing Framework. 

The provisions awarded are: 

• Lot 1 Nursing and Midwifery Staffing
• Lot 3 Allied Health Professionals and Health Science Services Staffing
• Lot 5 Social Care Staffing

This is a new National Clinical and Healthcare Staffing framework that has been published under the newly formed Workforce Alliance. The framework will be lead and managed by the NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP). It will be exercised on behalf of the Workforce Alliance, with the Awarding Authority being NHS LPP's Host Trust; Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

 

The collaboration is a long-term plan to deliver a whole portfolio of health workforce services which helps to ensure there is an easy and quick access to a sustainable workforce.

Lisa Camp, Managing Director of TLTP Medical said “We are delighted to be part of a respectable framework that values our commitment to helping hospitals and medical practices deliver the best patient care and a high level of service. We are proud that our robust compliance and vetting procedures have been recognised, as this is an area, we continue to invest in.”

“The framework will allow us to continue to provide high quality, temporary, permanent and fixed term clinical and healthcare staffing services across the UK.”

"With over 14 years’ experience working closely with the NHS, and as a proud member of the REC; this recognition further reinforces our dedication to providing a recruitment solution that adds value. We look forward to meeting and exceeding the high-standards expected from this framework, in order to cater to the challenging recruitment needs and ensure the satisfaction of our clients.” 

For more information, please visit National Clinical and Healthcare Framework.

To find out more about our recruitment services and how we can support you with your staffing needs, please get in touch with us on 020 8709 6553 or complete a call back request form and we will give you call.

Through education and on the job training a nurse will learn excellent clinical and performance skills which will allow them to practice nursing, these are known as hard skills. However soft skills which are an individual’s personality and core values cannot be taught, instead these can be developed and mastered over time. The absence of soft skills can lead to medical errors, an unhealthy and unproductive working environment, dissatisfied patients and a high number of complaints.

We’ve put together some helpful tips to help nurses build their soft skills and deliver the best patient care possible.

Communication
This begins even before speaking. Eyes, body language and even dress code gives out communication signals. Interview research shows that it takes just three seconds to make an impression and this is no different when it comes to providing patient care.
In the first instance it is important to make eye contact, smile and acknowledge the patient. It is equally important to wear the correct the uniform and ensure it is clean and tidy. This provides reassurance to the patient, eases their anxiety and helps them to identify with a healthcare professional.
Always speak clearly and listen to the patient, this help to build a relationship, rapport and a sense of trust. This will also show the nurse is knowledgeable and competent.

Compassion and Patience
A nurse will always be drawn to helping those in need and caring for those who are sick and injured. They’ll naturally have the need to help improve one’s quality of life and minimise any pain, anxiety and suffering they are feeling. Nurses will deal with people from all sorts of backgrounds and beliefs therefore having patience and being non-judgemental is vital.

Ethics
All nurses will follow a framework of ethics that provides guidance on personal and professional conduct. The framework includes how to maintain a patient’s respect and dignity and the importance of it. 

Attention to Detail
The ability to have excellent attention to detail whilst practising as a nurse can be the difference between life and death. Nurses will care for multiple patients’ everyday all with different challenges and needs, and after a long day it can be hard to remain focused. Being careful not miss any steps, following correct procedures and protocol will help to avoid making errors.

Positivity
Remaining positive in a tough situation is hard, however having positivity and using comforting words will help to improve a distressing situation and aide a patient’s recovery. Being positive will also boost the mood of the patient especially if they are feeling fed up, have low self-esteem, are down in the dumps and depressed.

Time Management
Being able to manage time effectively will play dividends when managing multiple patients, working under pressure and responding to unplanned incidents or emergencies. It will also help add structure to the day, be more effective and efficient.

Stamina
The nursing field is extremely demanding and it can be physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Having stamina is crucial to getting through the highs and lows of each day. It is equally crucial to maintain a healthy lifestyle and be able to deal with the challenges that arise. Having time out to recharge and reflect is key to achieving a strong level of stamina.

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Benefits of being a nurse in the UK
Building a trustful relationship with patients

The NHS in England is the country’s biggest employer and one of the largest an increase of 2.4% employers globally. Of the 1.5million people employed by the NHS, in March 2020 permanent registered nurses made up 669,854 of NHS staff, an increase of 2.4% (16,310) on the previous year. (Source: https://www.nmc.org.uk)

The Covid-19 temporary register
In response to the covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the temporary nursing register saw itself double in size from 7,658 to more than 14,000. It’s no surprise during unprecedented times its natural for those who have the desire to care together with the relevant skills and experience to offer their support. In addition to this, the NMC encouraged nurses who left the permanent register in the last three years to join the Covid-19 temporary register. 

If one thing Covid-19 has taught us is the importance of nurses and the work they do is vital as we continue to fight the virus.

Flexibility
NHS hospitals operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which is huge advantage for nurses. The NHS understands the importance of offering flexibility to attract and retain the best workforce, maintain a healthy work-life balance and reduce absenteeism. Variious shifts are offered such as full and part-time work, flexi-time, job sharing and night shifts followed with days off in between – the choice is yours. 
Having such flexibility is highly advantageous. Firstly, it will help to give you a work/life balance preventing burn out and time to recharge. Nursing can be highly demanding and at times upsetting, so it is important to have some time out to. Secondly, it gives you more time for leisure activities, family time and personal commitments. And, finally depending on your specialism and terms with the NHS trust you can work in different departments and hospitals.

Competitive Salary
Working a nurse, you can benefit from an outstanding salary plus many benefits. The Agenda for Change sets the pay rates for all NHS staff (except for doctors, dentists and senior managers) and takes into account, level of expertise, responsibilities, skills, abilities and years of experience.
As an example, the starting salary for a Band 5 nurse with less than 1 years’ experience is £24,907. After gaining further experience and specialising in an area a nurse can move up the pay scale and earn £37,890 as top end Band 6 nurse.
Going a step further and undertaking a Master’s degree to become an Advanced Nurse Practitioner can see earnings of £44,503, Head Nurses can see up to £51,668 and finally, Consultant Nurses up to £104,927.

As well as the basic pay, there is also extra pay for those who work in areas where living costs are high, such as London. The NHS has one of the UK’s best pension schemes and offers learning opportunities through training programmes.

Career Progression
There are many routes a nurse can take when it comes to career progression, and what’s even better is you can gain first-hand experience before deciding on the path you wish to take.
Specialisms in nursing are endless, you can choose from many areas such as emergency care, anaesthetics, midwifery, neonatology, orthopaedics, fertility to surgery. You even have the option of moving into a management role, advanced practitioners and consultant nurses where they have the option to prescribe medicine to patients.
As a nurse everyday will be different and you’ll learn something new and invaluable all the time. There are also opportunities to work on research projects and be involved in new innovations.
You will be exposed to a variety of different healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and outpatient healthcare settings. This will help to keep your work varied, interesting and increase your learning and development.

Job Security
If anything, COVID-19 has shown us is the significant role nurses play in healthcare and without them hospitals would not be able to function. Over the last 10 years we have seen an increase in people living longer as a result of better healthcare and advances in medicine, this means the need for nurses will increase. Every year new nurses are required to replace to those who retire or leave the profession, it is a continuous cycle and as a result, there will always be a job for nurses giving you peace of mind that your job is here to stay.

Nursing Grants
In January 2020 the government announced a nursing grant of £5,000 will be available to all nursing, midwifery and many allied health students to help with living costs. In addition to this a further funding of up to £3000 is available to mental health and learning disability nursing students, those with childcare needs and areas of UK which have seen a decrease in students accepted onto some nursing, midwifery and allied health courses over the past year.
The funding will not have to be repaid by recipients and more than 35,000 students could benefit from the grant offered.

Find your next nursing position today

We are proud to work with NHS trusts across the UK, as a result we have roles to suit every nurse at every stage of their career.
Whether you are a newly qualified nurse or looking for new experience register your details here or view the latest nursing jobs and apply today

When looking for something on the Internet, you usually use Google, but when you need a new job, feel free to use Jooble.

TLTP Medical constantly provides skilled and highly professional staff to the NHS and private sectors, so closing the vacancies should be done to time and quality. Since we began to feature our vacancies on Jooble we managed to find candidates whom we have supported in finding their dream job and helping them rise through the ranks.

How does the Jooble job search actually work?
Jooble search engine simplifies the job search for candidates by displaying thousands of active job ads on Jooble aggregated from different job boards and recruitment companies.
When performing a search, you'll get links to job postings from different job sites throughout the UK that are the most relevant to your search terms. That’s what we call user friendly experience!

How does Jooble find vacancies?
Jooble have developed a specific technology that aggregates job listings from small websites. The search robot independently finds websites with vacancies and adds them to the search index. Each vacancy is constantly checked for relevance. As simple as that but it can really help any person find a job asap.

Jooble also automatically filters out duplicated jobs, so similar jobs, are shown as a single one.

Since we began to feature our vacancies on Jooble we have attracted a high calibre of healthcare professionals whom we have supported in finding them find their dream job and helping them flourish in their career.

Jooble is constantly updating their features to make it easy for employers to attract potential candidates to their jobs and vice versa. Their overall aim is to help candidates finds relevant jobs in a few seconds and save time.

Almost 900,000 public sector workers who have been working on the front line fighting the coronavirus pandemic will be rewarded with an inflation-busting pay rise, but nurses and care workers will not be included.

Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced the pay rise after months of political pressure to reward frontline key workers. Public sector workers including doctors, dentists, teachers, police officers and the armed forces will benefit from the rise. But no new rise has been announced for other NHS staff including nurses, care workers cleaners and porters who have all risked their lives and more than 300 NHS workers have lost their lives throughout this pandermic. 

With inflation currently just 0.6%, the biggest increase of 3.1% goes to teachers, followed by the doctors and dentists receiveing 2.8%.

Below is a breakdown of the pay rises in full. 

• School Teachers 3.1 per cent
• Doctors & Dentists 2.8 per cent
• Police Officers 2.5 per cent
• Armed Forces 2 per cent
• National Crime Agency 2.5 per cent
• Prison Officers 2.5 per cent
• Judiciary 2 per cent
• Senior Civil Servants 2 per cent
• Senior Military 2 per cent

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: "These past months have underlined what we always knew – that our public sector workers make a vital contribution to our country and that we can rely on them when we need them. It’s right therefore that we follow the recommendations of the independent pay bodies with this set of real-terms pay rises."

"Each award is recommended by independent pay review bodies, and this year government accepted the headline recommended rise for each workforce. This year’s pay awards reflect the enormous effort made by those in the public sector in responding to the unprecedented challenges for the country during the Covid-19 outbreak."

The pay awards for the armed forces, prison officers, senior civil servants and NHS staff work will be backdated to April this year, whereas the pay rise for police and teachers starts in September which run on a different pay year (September-August).

NHS nurses are not included in the announcement because they negotiated a three-year deal in 2018.They are already in the final year which expires in April 2021 and hasn't yet been renewed.
The Treasury pointed to the three-year Agenda for Change pay deal agreed in 2017, which it said saw starting pay for newly qualified nurses increase by 12 per cent, citing an average rise of 4.4 per cent for nurses outside of the most senior roles. The Royal College of Nurses has calculated that the average salary for a nurse has fallen by 8 per cent in real terms since the Tories were elected in 2010.

Unions said the pay rises which ministers have failed to commit to for months amid widespread public outcry are minimal in comparison to the real-term cuts seen over a decade of austerity.

They also highlighted that public sector, including social care workers – who have also risked their lives during the crisis – would receive no such increase. TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "These rises are welcome, but there's still a long way to go to restore pay after a decade of real terms cuts," she said. “Many public sector workers, like job centre staff and local government workers, aren’t getting these rises. They deserve a decent pay settlement too." “And the government should urgently announce a pay rise for social care workers, who put their lives on the line to care for others during this pandemic.”

Social care workers are reliant on private firms which is why they not get a dedicated pay rise either. Policing minister Kit Malthouse said social care workers would have to rely on increases in the minimum wage to improve their pay levels.

As almost a million public sector workers were awarded pay rises, Mr Malthouse said: "The vast majority of social care workers are paid in the private sector so our ability to influence pay rates there is limited." He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that - apart from "nationalising the entire thing" - the minimum wage rate was the best tool the Government had to recognise the efforts of care workers."
"What we have done is raise the level of the minimum wage very significantly over the last few years to get it up towards the £10.50 mark. That, we hope, will push through into these private sector jobs."

"Everybody looks at people who work in social care during coronavirus and thinks they have done a fantastic job in very, very difficult circumstances. But that's the mechanism by which we think we can increase pay in that sector."

Given that the whole nation were clapping for carers and front line NHS staff every Thursday evening for almost 10 weeks to show their appreciation this is very disheartening to those who risked their lives and continue to do so. 

The Treasury said the money for the pay increases of up to 3.1% would come from existing departmental budgets, meaning cash-strapped government departments must work out how to pay for them.

Labour shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the Conservatives had frozen public sector pay for seven years, and the rises they introduced after that failed to plug the gap. She said the pay rise was "good news" but added that it "won't make up for a decade of real-term pay cuts" for many front-line workers. 

The British Medical Association said doctors had hoped for "far better". Dr David Wrigley, vice-chairman of the British Medical Association, said doctors would feel "disappointed and let down" as pay "has fallen way behind" over a decade. He told BBC Breakfast: "These are the sort of rises we'd expect to see in normal times, not in a time when many of us have not had a day off in six months and have been putting our lives on the line."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "These past few months have been an incredibly challenging time for our NHS, and the resolve, professionalism and dedication of staff has been on show throughout. We are able to accept the recommendations of the independent pay review body for dentists and doctors."

"I am committed to supporting the entire NHS and social care workforce through improved recruitment and retention and delivering 50,000 more nurses and 6,000 more doctors in general practice."

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