Successful three-year battle to save health visiting in Scotland
welcomed by Unite
30th June 2009
The successful three-year battle to save health visiting as a
distinct profession in Scotland has been welcomed by Unite, the
largest union in the country.
Proposals to merge the community nurse specialisms, such as
health visiting, school nursing and district nursing, into one
generic community nursing role were fiercely fought on the grounds
that they would cause confusion to the public and dilute the
specialised knowledge that health care professionals had built
up.
The Scottish government has now abandoned the generic role pilot
schemes, following protests from Unite, which embraces the
Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association.
In a letter to the health unions, deputy first ninister &
cabinet secretary for
health and wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, said that it had been
agreed, under the auspices of the Modernising Community Nursing
Board, that career development for registered nurses would be
considered within the existing community nursing professions.
Unite’s professional officer in Scotland, Gavin Fergie, said: "This
is the successful result of a three-year battle to keep the
community nurse professions distinct, which we believe is the best
option to deliver quality services to the families and communities
of Scotland.
"Unite is pleased that the cabinet secretary has recognised the
majority view of community nursing practitioners in Scotland by
signalling the end of the project to consider a future generic role
for community nursing practitioners.
"This generic community health nurse role never had our members
support - a fact the cabinet secretary appreciated in discussions
with Unite and partnership colleagues.
"The existing pilots will be wound down with a new board charged
with leading the direction of community nursing professions in
Scotland to be set up by August. Unite will have a place on this
new board."
ENDS
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS:
For further information, please ring:
Gavin Fergie 07980 237 024; Michael Fuller, Unite’s lead officer
for health, Scotland 07768 931241; Karen Reay, national officer,
health 07798 531 004; Obi Amadi, lead professional officer, policy
& external affairs 07780 955 936; Shaun Noble, communications
officer (health sector) 020 7420 8951 or 07768 693 940.
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