Prime Minister David Cameron’s commitment to transforming health services and making England the first country in the world to deliver a truly seven day NHS, coupled with the Governments drive, could well find nurses going on a strike if payments received for working anti-social hours and weekends come under threat.

From August 01, 2017, nursing and allied health students will no longer have access to NHS bursary. They will instead have to access the standard student support system for their tuition and living fees; in other words, take a loan just like any other student undergoing university studies.

The replacement of NHS bursaries by loans for nursing and allied health professional students was announced by Chancellor George Osborne in November 2015. Starting August 01, 2017, new nursing and allied health students will have to access the standard student support system to cover their tuition fees and means-tested support for living costs. Repayment of this loan will be similar to those taken by other student loans taken for university studies. Currently, once a graduate starts earning over £21,000, the loan repayment starts - amounting to 9% of income over £21,000. In case the income drops below £21,000, the repayment process stops. This continues for 30 years, after which, in case of any outstanding amount, the same is written off.

It’s that time of the year again – the moving season, and you are probably looking for houses to shift into. We, at The Flame Lily, understand how difficult and harrowing this process can be. You have found your dream home and now need to get a mortgage to secure it – a stressful process even for those with all the time in the world on their hands. We know that the hours you work, leaves you with little time to find and follow up on such matters. We appreciate your dedication and salute your commitment to your profession, and the company. The Flame Lily has always strived to make life as comfortable as possible for you. In keeping with our commitment to making your lives better and easier, we have collaborated with mortgage providers and can definitely help those of you who are looking for one.

Announced by the chancellor, George Osborne, at his summer budget last year, the national minimum wage new rates for 2016 have been increased by 50p more than the previous year’s rate.

Dr. Richard Harris looked around his clinic with despair and anguish in his eyes. After standing there for a few minutes, he walked back slowly to his chamber. When I walked into his chamber, I saw Dr. Harris sitting with slumped shoulders, hands on his head, staring into space. He has been my family doctor for the last thirty years and I have never seen him looking so low. I was worried and on my asking, he said that he might have to shut down the clinic. “The practice is good; in fact I have more patients now than ever before, but no staff to look after them”, he added. A dedicated professional, Dr. Harris has been an upright and loved member of our community. It was extremely distressing to see him in this state. Members of the community even volunteered to help out at the clinic, but to no avail. Last week, Dr. Harris closed his clinic doors for the last time. What has gone wrong with our healthcare system? Why are dedicated and established physicians downing their shutters or reducing the number of patients that they can see? Where are the healthcare workers?

Is this a case of too little after too long? Accepting recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body, the government has announced a 1% pay raise for all NHS staff on the Agenda for Change pay bands. Calling their recommendation ‘informed but not constrained’, the PRB seems to be following Chancellor George Osborne’s intention of restricting pay rises for all public sector workers in England to a maximum of 1% for the next four years. The PRB accepts that all NHS providers are under financial pressure and that some form of pay restraints is thus inevitable.

Nursing is a very noble profession, but also very taxing. As the medical world advances forward, nurses are required to constantly update themselves with these changes. The current shortage of healthcare personnel, increased professionalism, new technology and an aging population is not making it easier for nurses today. In order to remain efficient and not burn out, nurses need to find a healthy balance between their work and personal life. Although it may sound easy, balancing between your work and personal life requires effort and tenacity. You need to work on your priorities, your goals, your insecurities and your needs. As life moves forward, maintaining the balance becomes a continuous process. An imbalance between the two can lead to a whole lot of negatives – stress, unhappiness, frustration, anger and a decrease in productivity and professionalism. How to balance work and personal life will differ from person to person. However, there are a few things that are common for most. Working on these will help you achieve a better balance and allow you to enjoy both your work and your personal life to its fullest.

Renewing our accreditation and preparing for our annual audits – January and February are the busiest months for us here at the Flame Lily. Understanding the needs of our clients and ensuring that their staffing requirements are met by providing the best candidates is of paramount importance to us. We have always strived hard to maintain the quality of our services and staff, and this has been proven year after year through our accreditations and audits.