Procedure was quite correct I READ with interest the request by county councillors for a nurse to be based in County (Panteg) Hospital. There has been a facility at County for as long as I can remember, however, dwindling numbers resulted in nurses not remaining current in their practice suffering the inevitable skill fade.
As registrants (nurses) we operate within robust frameworks for practice ensuring that first and foremost the patient is safe and secondly that the nurse is not compromised by their practice.
Having attended the meeting in Panteg church hall, it was reassuring to see the director of nursing discharging her obligation to both the health board and the nurses she manages by withdrawing the facility which was potentially exposing the patient and registrant to harm. It was articulated quite clearly at the meeting the numbers of patients needed to attend the Minor Injury Unit (MIU) in order for nurses to remain fit for practice and beyond question when things go wrong.
Both the community health council and the director of nursing are to be commended for ensuring patients are not accessing care which does not meet a robust governance framework – which is in the interests of both the patient and the nurse.
As nurses we have an obligation under our NMC Code of Conduct to ensure we protect the public, Denise Llewellyn, the director of nursing, has done just this.
GN Heal RN, BSc MA (Wales), Tregarty, Blaenavon
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