COVID-19 Surge Capacity

NURSING AND MIDWIFERY WORKFORCE NORTHERN IRELAND: ENABLING PROFESSIONALISM DURING COVID-19 SURGE DEMAND

Welcome to the NIPEC Enabling Professionalism during COVID-19 Surge Demand, for the Nursing and Midwifery Workforce in Northern Ireland.

This site offers advice and resources to Health and Social Care (HSC) trusts and other organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the nursing and midwifery workforce through periods of high service demand.

Nurses, midwives, nursing assistants, senior nursing assistants and maternity support workers[1] have skills and knowledge which are vital to help deliver safe and effective care to as many patients as possible, however in periods of surge demand and uncertainty, staff may be working in practice settings that are unfamiliar, requiring careful consideration of how teams are constituted and used.

This site will be regularly reviewed and updated in response to direction offered from the Department of Health (DoH) Northern Ireland.

The sections below outline aspects of professional practice relevant to COVID-19 surge demand and expanding capacity of the workforce. Click on the wording below the circles within each section to reveal further information.

[1] From this point in this resource the group of staff aligned to nursing and midwifery will be referred to as ‘nursing and midwifery staff’.  The terms ‘nursing assistant’ and ‘senior nursing assistant’ may not be used in nursing homes currently – more commonly used are the terms ‘carer’ or healthcare assistant’.

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• SECTION 1: SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

  Click on the wording below the graphics to find out more information.

  Regulatory Context	Indemnity	Teams & Staffing	Skill Mix	Supervision

• SECTION 2: SUPPORTING APPROPRIATE CARE AND SERVICE ENVIRONMENT

  During the global pandemic it is likely that many clinical settings will experience high levels of demand for services along with increased levels of sickness and absence among usual team members.

  The four UK Chief Nursing Officers have had to make rapid policy changes to ensure that all nursing and midwifery care in the context of COVID-19 is as safe as reasonably possible.

  The following principles are provided to assist thinking in such situations, particularly when shift teams are comprised of many or in some circumstances all staff who are unfamiliar with the clinical environment.

  Click on the wording below the graphics to find out more information.

  Redeployment	Orientation	Roles	Assessment & Records

   

  Delegation	Organisation of Care	Health & Well Being

• SECTION 3: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

  Checklists for Orientation:

  Environmental Orientation Checklist
  Skills Checklist

  Health and Wellbeing Support:

  Belfast Area
  Northern Area
  South Eastern Area
  Southern Area
  Western Area

  Other Resources:

  Grouping Outline
  Our NHS People
  Nursing Handover Prompt Sheet

  Resources for the Independent Sector:

  PNH Environmental Orientation Checklist
  PNH Grouping Outline
  PNH Nursing Handover Prompt Sheet
  VLE In Nursing Homes
  Guidance for Care Homes