The Latest from Northern ireland
RCN to take further action on imposed Northern Ireland pay announcement
Further to the imposed pay award for nurses and other HSC staff for 2015-2016, RCN Northern Ireland Director Janice Smyth said:
“The RCN Northern Ireland Board convened an extraordinary meeting on Monday 11 January 2016. Board members considered the imposed pay award, the manner in which the Minister made this announcement, and the tone of the announcement. They have considered the views and opinions expressed by members who contacted the RCN over the weekend, and taken account of the detail of the Minister’s announcement. Nurses are angry and frustrated that the Minister has singled out nurses, when the pay award applies to 50,000 health and social care staff, and perceive that he has blatantly misrepresented the situation in relation to nurses’ pay. The trade unions wrote to Simon Hamilton on 15 May 2015 requesting a meeting. A meeting scheduled for September was cancelled, rescheduled and took place on 16 December. The RCN is disappointed at the lack of leadership and respect demonstrated by the Minister in relation to HSC staff pay. Members of the RCN Northern Ireland Board voted unanimously to consult RCN Council, seeking authorisation to ballot RCN members in Northern Ireland in relation to the imposed pay award and taking industrial action short of strike action.”
In preparation for a potential ballot on industrial action over the imposed pay award, RCN accredited representatives and staff have been holding a series of workplace walkabouts across Northern Ireland in order to brief members on the award and the options for industrial action.
RCNi Nurse Awards 2016
The RCNi Nurse Awards identify exceptional nursing professionals who demonstrate clinical excellence and who have implemented new initiatives that have enhanced the patient experience, improved health outcomes and transformed nursing practice. The awards are open to nurses, midwives and health visitors registered to practise in the UK and whose primary employment is nursing. Health care assistants and student nurses can also enter. The deadline for the receipt of entries is 22 January 2016 and the awards ceremony will take place on Friday 6 May 2016 in London. Further information is available at: http://rcni.com/newsroom/nurse-awards/rcni-nurse-awards-2016-35031
The Barbers' Company Clinical Nursing Scholarship
The Barbers' Company Clinical Nursing Scholarship, worth up to £7,500, is offered towards the fees or subsistence costs for a nurse undertaking further education, research or a clinical project (such as a taught Masters programme) relevant to nursing or research, in an academic department in the United Kingdom or at an approved academic nursing department overseas.
Applicants should submit a 500 word outline of the course, research or project and its intended application, together with their CV, to:
The Barbers’ Company Clinical Nursing Scholarship, RCN Research Institute, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL.
The closing date for the receipt of applications is 28 February 2016.
Further details are available from Paul Kent by telephone on 024 761 50618