Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Only a bully would demand more productivity from nurses

Anyone naive enough to think nurses might get a meaningful pay rise will have been brought down to earth by the proposed link to ‘productivity’, which in a nursing context can mean anything, says Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: How to prevent the NHS from going down the drain

The response to the nursing crisis has been to step up training or recruit nurses from abroad. But unless the issues prompting nurses to leave the profession are addressed the NHS will not survive, says Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Public humiliation left me walking on eggshells - but now it's time to move on and offer help

A past encounter in which Jane Bates was accused of being a 'do-gooder' left her thinking twice when providing aid

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Anyone on the wagon should be cheered on, not dragged down

If a friend is trying to improve their health by going on a diet or giving up alcohol offer encouragement and support, don’t try and drag them down, says Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Forget pride, it’s over efficiency that comes before a fall 

In her haste to be highly organised, Jane Bates almost costs her trust a fortune by opening an expensive pack of medicine that may not be needed after all

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Nurse leaders need to start telling it like it really is 

An investigation by the BBC, based on figures released by NHS Digital, shows nurses are leaving the profession in droves. This was an opportunity for senior nurse leaders to speak out about the overwhelming stress and financial struggles faced by today’s nurses, but they blew it, says Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: How can a board game lead to a broken rib?

Forget risky sports and drinking too much alcohol, a sedate game of Scrabble is the biggest danger to health, says Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: A little appreciation goes a long way

A simple ‘thank you’ for a job well done costs nothing and is a positive among the tiredness and stress of nurses’ working lives, says Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Who wants a picnic in the bleak mid-winter? 

Picnics should mean wasps and sunburn, not sub-zero temperatures and hypothermia, says Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: The virus that stole Christmas 

The viral infection that scuppered Christmas for many of us may not have been flu, but to dub it merely ‘a cold’ fails to convey its severity

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Care means taking time to explain and be kind

As someone with severe dental phobia, finding a kind and compassionate dentist made all the difference to Jane Bates, reminding her that a nurse’s true skill lies in how they treat patients

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Why do nurses feel a need to work when they’re ill?

Going to work with a painful tooth abscess leaves Jane Bates smiling through gritted teeth, but with her conscience intact

Cocktail
Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Beware the Christmas Eve cocktails

From cracked ribs to a sore back, the Yuletide festivities are not without hazard for Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Is the right to see a GP such an outdated idea?

All patients deserve a face-to-face medicines review with their GP. Not only is this in the best interests of the patient, it helps prevent the huge costs to the NHS associated with wasted medications, says Jane Bates

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Madness of NHS plan to ask patients their gender preference

A directive from NHS England asking health professionals to record the sexual orientation of all patients and service users aged 16 and over is impractical and intrusive, says Jane Bates.

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Flexible working just a dream until NHS is adequately staffed 

While the concept of flexible, family-friendly working is very welcome, it is just a pipe dream until the significant shortage of NHS nurses is addressed, says Jane Bates.

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Frail and elderly or fit for work?

The baby boomer generation is expected to work until approaching age 70 but they are considered frail and elderly when something goes wrong. You can’t have it both ways, says Jane Bates.

Nursing Standard

Jane Bates: Constipation is nothing to be embarrassed about

Dispatched to the pharmacy for medication to ease a friend’s bowel problems, Jane Bates wonders why buying personal items causes such discomfort, even for nurses.

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