Experiences of African nurses and the perception of their managers in the NHS

© 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Aim: This study aims to explore experiences of racism, discrimination and equality of opportunity among black African nurses and their managers' perspective on these issues. Background: International nurse migration has brought increased diversity in the nursing workforce internationally. These nurses have reported negative experiences associated with their integration in host nations. The UK has a long history of international nurse recruitment, which has been associated with experiences of racism and discrimination towards these nurses despite various equality Acts. Experiences of black African nurses and perceptions of their managers are good indicators of how effective these equality Acts have been. Method: A qualitative approach was used to gain an insight into black nurses' experiences and those of their managers in the UK National Health Service. Findings: Nurses and managers reported that black African nurses face racism, discrimination and lack of equal opportunities in the British National Health Service. Conclusion: Racism and discrimination towards black and ethnic minority nurses are present in the National Health Service despite equality Acts. Robust measures to combat racism and discrimination are urgently needed. Implications for nursing management: Managers need to be aware that good policies can be misinterpreted and disadvantage minorities, and should therefore take steps to promote good practice

The skills and brain drain what nurses say

Aims and objectives. To explore sub-Saharan African nurses' reasons for moving to the UK, their views on the skills and brain drain, and what can be done to stem the situation. Background. The UK and other developed nations such as the USA, Canada and Australia have been recruiting internationally qualified nurses including those from sub-Saharan African, which has raised concerns of skills and brain drain from these countries that are known to suffer from nurse shortages. Methods. A purposeful sample of 30 nurses from sub-Saharan African was drawn from four National Health Service trusts in the north-east of England. Using focus group discussions and personal interviews, the study explored and examined nurses' views on their motivation to move to the developed countries and what can be done to reduce nurse migration from sub-Saharan African and give those countries a chance to develop their health systems by retaining their health personnel. Results. Five main themes emerged from data analysis: poor remuneration, lack of professional development in the home countries, poor health care and systems, language and education similarities and easy availability of jobs and visas. Conclusion. Data indicate that migration motives for nurses are complex and inherent in historical links and in global values. Nurses stressed that they would like to stay in their own countries and help develop healthcare there, but reasons for moving were often strong and apparently not within their control. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurse migration from sub-Saharan African has often been cited as a limitation in providing effective healthcare in those countries. Delineating motivational factors for nurses could help to stem this migration. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Exploring health care workers' perceptions and experiences of communication with ethnic minority elders

Purpose: There is a recognition in Europe and in the Western world of a demographic shift in the ageing population. While the overall ageing of the general population is growing, the numbers of immigrants getting old in their host countries is also increasing, thereby increasing the racial and ethnic proportion of older people in these countries. This changing landscape calls for understanding of issues related to health care provision, policy and research regarding ethnic minorities. Communication is seen as a key factor in understandin

Mealtime difficulty in older people with dementia

Aim: To evaluate the evidence published in systematic reviews on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at alleviating mealtime difficulties in older people with dementia. Background: Older people with dementia gradually lose their self-care abilities as the condition of dementia progresses and this includes the ability to eat independently. There is a large body of research into this phenomenon, including into the effectiveness of interventions to alleviate the problems which arise. Recently there have also been several systematic reviews with different conclusions about the effectiveness of these interventions

Managers’ perspectives on promotion and professional development for black African nurses in the UK

YesAn exploratory qualitative study design was adopted for this study and underpinned by Rex’s migrant workers framework (Rex, 1999). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten ward managers from four NHS trusts in the north-east of England to gain an insight into their experiences of working with black African nurses with regard to equal opportunities in accessing professional development and promotion. Managers reported that black African nurses experienced racism from patients, racism from colleagues, discrimination and lack of equal opportunities. A unique finding of the study was that managers stereotyped black African nurses as lacking motivation for professional development and promotion. The authors recommend that NHS ward managers receive training in implementing antidiscrimination policies and valuing equality and diversity

English language skills requirements for internationally educated nurses working in the care industry: barriers to UK registration or institutionalised discrimination?

Editoria

How do aggression source, employee characteristics, and organisational response impact the relationship between workplace aggression and work and health outcomes in healthcare employees? A cross-sectional analysis of the National Health Service staff survey in England

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of aggression in healthcare and its association with employees’ turnover intentions, health and engagement, as well as how these effects differ based on aggression source (patients vs colleagues), employee characteristics (race, gender and occupation) and organisational response to the aggression. Design: Multilevel moderated regression analysis of 2010 National Health Service (NHS) survey. Setting: 147 acute NHS trusts in England. Participants: 36 850 participants across three occupational groups (14% medical/dental, 61% nursing/midwifery, 25% allied health professionals or scientific and technical staff). Main outcome measures: Employee turnover intentions, health and work engagement. Results: Both forms of aggression (from patients and colleagues) have significant and substantial effects on turnover intentions, health and work engagement; however, for all three outcome variables, the effect of aggression from colleagues is more than twice the size of the effect of aggression from patients. Organisational response was found to buffer the negative effects of aggression from patients for turnover intentions and the negative effects of aggression from patients and colleagues for employee health. The results also demonstrated that nurses/midwives, women and Black employees are more likely to experience aggression; however, no clear patterns emerged on how aggression differentially impacts employees of different races, genders and occupations with respect to the outcome variables. Conclusions: Although aggression from patients and colleagues both have negative effects on healthcare employees’ turnover intentions, health and work engagement, these negative effects are worse when it is aggression from colleagues. Having an effective organisational response can help ameliorate the negative effects of aggression on employees’ health; however, it may not always buffer negative effects on turnover intentions and work engagement. Future research should examine other approaches, as well as how organisational responses and resources may need to differ based on aggression source

Internationally trained pharmacists in Great Britain: what do registration data tell us about their recruitment?

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