Blaming nurses is 'ridiculous' (From Western Telegraph)

Blaming nurses is 'ridiculous'

DEAR EDITOR, - I would like to express my opinion on the attack that the former RGN launched on student nurses and recently-qualified nurses in your issue of May 4th (Ex-nurse slams hygiene standards at hospital).

To suggest that a person must do three years experience of ward level care before entering a nursing degree, then to blame the students or recently-qualified nurses for the patients not receiving full care once they are in hospital, not to mention insinuating that we, as students, do not understand the whole idea of cleanliness and patient care standards in the hospital, is ridiculous!

I am a student at Pembrokeshire College studying an access to higher education course in health, full-time, and hope to attend university to take my nursing degree this September.

I can assure anyone who would question the issue that plenty of emphasis is put on the standards of care a patient is to receive and on basic and extended hygiene issues.

Maybe the letter would have been better off being written to a local or even national MP for more funding to be brought to this area, so that such issues can be dealt with appropriately, as this problem, as concerning as it is, will not be resolved by further stretching of the already over-stretched nurses and students.

WENDYANN THOMSON 22 Jubilee Close, Letterston.