This is a must see website for you - and here is why
On 31 March 2019, there were 698,237 Nurses on NMC register meaning that there are a large number of Nurses with Autism working at present but so far there is no data about neurodiversity.
How many neurodiverse Nurses are leaving because they don’t feel supported?
Nobody knows…
There are plenty of support groups for patients. Currently the NHS have an autism forum but only for patients.
It's quite puzzling that there is nothing for Nurses.
In the current climate where we have a massive workforce gap, support for every Nurse is vital.
On a time that NHS are promoting equality and diversity we feel that neurodiverse staff are being left behind.
We want to change that.
For that reason a few of us want to create a Network group.
VISION:
To create a Nursing workforce that includes, support and welcome those individuals with Neurodiverse Backgrounds.
AIMS:
1.- Peer Support
2.- To address the recruitment and retention issues for Nursing by enabling Neurodiverse individuals to start, remain and progress in Nursing.
3.- Produce a guide with the RCN Support for managers to help them to get the most of Neurodiverse Nurses and how best support them.
STRATEGY:
The network supports Nursing Now strategy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”, in honor of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale and we want Neurodiversity to be included as part of the celebrations.
To do that we will work towards achieving vision through working in partnership with The RCN and NHS Employers in the following themes:
Investing in our staff, Educating for success. Raising standards and Aspirations.
We want the NHS to be an outstanding employer supporting ALL staff to achieve their full potential.
‘Educating for success’
A quarter of all student nurses are dropping out of their degrees before graduation, according to a new investigation, adding to concerns around falling NHS staff numbers.
Lots of neurodiverse nurses struggle to complete the current education. There is no current data about the percentage of dropping student have a neurodiverse background.
We want to work in partnership with The RCN and Universities to develop neurodiverse students as individuals, enhancing their capabilities as creative, confident and adaptable 21st Century citizens who will make a significant contribution to global society.’
There are a few UK universities who are currently doing an excellent work in supporting Neurodiversity students. We want to expand it to the rest of the UK.
‘Raising standards and aspiration’
We are working in partnership with NHS Employers and The RCN to help us to 'enhance our effectiveness and minimise the barriers to achieving our aspirations and full potential’
VALUES:
1.- The network understands societal discrimination impacts on the daily experience of Nurses and students and that increased awareness of this experience is the best way to reduce the impact of it.
2.- The network understands the responsibility for challenging discrimination is the responsibility of every student and every member of NHS.
3.- The network understands, although at different stages, all Staff are on an on-going process of learning about how to both recognise and challenge discrimination from an individual to institutional level.
PORPOSE:
The purpose of the network is to;
1.-Promote NHS wide change by:
1a.-Work towards issues regarding neurodiversity being an evident part of NHS governance to achieve positive and lasting change.
1b.-Create and maintain a forum for positively raising the profile of neurodiversity on NHS.
1c.-Support existing activities and encourage the expansion of initiatives which reduce the incidence and impact of discrimination.
1d.-Hold the NHS accountable to its stated commitment to challenge discrimination whenever identified.
2.-Support neurodiverse staff by:
2a.-Create and maintain a safe environment for neurodiverse staff to discuss issues pertaining to discrimination.
2b.-Accept the validity of the individual accounts from neurodiverse staff and students who choose to disclose their experience of discrmination to network members
2c.-While respectful of the need to protect members’ anonymity, the group will inform senior management at the NHS of trends, hotspots and incidents of racist behaviour.
For that reason ND Nurses UK is your must browse website and you can find it here
We can all get involved by joining the first tweetchat
Neurodiversity is much more common than many people think. There are around 700,000 people on the autism spectrum in the UK – that's more than 1 in 100. If you include their families, autism is a part of daily life for 2.8 million people.
At least one in three neurodiverse adults are experiencing severe mental health difficulties due to a lack of support.
Only 16% neurodiverse adults in the UK are in full-time paid employment, and only 32% are in some kind of paid work.
Only 10% of autistic adults receive employment support but 53% say they want it.
At a time that NHS are heavily promoting equality and diversity are neurodiverse healthworkers are being left behind?
What's your experience?
How can we make it better?