Richard Fluskey, Associate Director of Recruitment, Talks Nursing in the UK
We thought we'd take some time to chat with Nurseplus' Associate Director of Recruitment, Richard Fluskey about his thoughts on nursing in the UK. As Richard began his working life as a nurse himself, we wanted to gain his unique perspective on the industry and what might have changed since he was practicing.
We had a chat with Richard about his thoughts on nursing in the UK and how recent events have changed public perception of nursing and the NHS as a whole. Here's what Richard had to say.
Why become a nurse? Tell us why you wanted to be a nurse
I started my career working as a care assistant in a nursing home and training to be a nurse was just a natural progression for me. I wanted to become a nurse because certain aspects of my personality just fitted the job particularly well and I always derived an enormous sense of purpose, pride, and satisfaction in doing the very best job I could for my patients.
I qualified as a Registered General Nurse back in 1999 and subsequently went on to obtain a BA(Hons) Degree in Health Services Management. During my nursing career, I worked in Neuro Rehabilitation, Gastroenterology, Vascular Surgery and specialised in Tissue Viability. To date these roles have been the most fulfilling of my life.
The role of nursing: Explain what you think the role of a nurse is today
The primary role of a nurse today is largely the same as it has always been; to be an advocate on behalf of your patients and act in their best interests at all times. The nursing cycle of Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation remains the same.
I think the biggest difference in nursing today compared to when I was practicing comes down to available skilled resources to undertake patient care. Although I faced my fair share of resource challenges on the wards, it is nothing compared to the resource challenges faced by the healthcare sector today.
Throughout my career as a nurse, I was fortunate enough to be in the position to provide my patients with a high standard of hands-on care, which just would not be practical today. Healthcare assistants now provide much of the hands-on personal care where nurses are much more restricted to care management practices and have to optimise their time focussing on duties only a registered nurse is qualified to undertake.
Nurse recruitment in the UK: Why did you decide to move into recruitment?
Whilst studying for my health services management degree, I worked as an agency nurse to earn a little extra money. The agency where I worked was looking for qualified nurses to work as recruitment consultants in their office, so I took a chance and I loved it. Due to my clinical background and working knowledge across all nursing specialisms, everything came very easily to me. What’s more, because both my clients and candidates were primarily qualified nurses, I found it very easy to build relationships and became very successful in my field.
Although not quite as directly fulfilling, from a vocational point of view, as nursing, healthcare recruitment has become my passion over the last 20 years. It provides me with the same enormous sense of purpose, pride, and satisfaction just on a much bigger macro scale.
Healthcare recruitment companies such as Nurseplus play an important part in the UK healthcare economy. So much so, I believe healthcare providers simply couldn’t function without access to a flexible workforce that can provide the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
Leaving my nursing career behind was difficult and for a while, I still used to pick up agency shifts on the weekend because I missed it so much. However, as I became much more successful in healthcare recruitment it just wasn’t practical to continue following both passions.
Training to be a nurse: What would you say to someone who wants to become a nurse today?
I would absolutely without hesitation tell them to do it! In fact, my sister asked me this very question 15 years ago and she is now a senior research nurse who loves her job and has a very fulfilling career.
Nursing is not for everyone, we all have varying preferences, personality traits, and abilities. If you feel yours are particularly well suited to nursing, I would recommend anyone to pursue it as a rewarding career pathway.
Agency for nursing jobs: Can you tell us about the benefits for agency nurses?
The primary benefits for agency workers has to be the pay and flexibility. I have personally experienced the benefits of agency nursing and for me, it was a great way to pick up extra money whilst accommodating your other commitments.
Another key benefit of agency nursing is that you are able to gain exposure to lots of different nursing specialisms. Working with an agency can give you the opportunity to build up your nursing knowledge base and experience, all of which will make you an even better nurse.
In all honesty, this wasn’t for me, I preferred to stick to my 3 known specialist areas, but I had many colleagues who actively enjoyed the variety on offer through agency nursing.
How the NHS works: What are your thoughts on the current state of the NHS?
It’s difficult to comment because I haven’t worked for the NHS for such a long time now. From an outside perspective, the experiences of my family, colleagues, and my own experiences as a patient it would seem the NHS is sadly not the institution it once was.
It is a difficult question to answer without straying into the realm of politics but the neglect, lack of adequate funding, and resourcing challenges are clear for all to see. The commitment and dedication of the staff that runs the NHS are the very best in the world. If they were afforded the necessary investment and appropriate workforce planning initiatives I believe it could once again become the world-class institution it used to be.
A career in nursing: Is there any advice you could give to someone considering a move from NHS to agency nursing?
The main objection to moving away from the NHS has always been the final salary pension scheme was just so good, but it seems changes have resulted in the pension scheme not being quite as good as it used to be.
I regularly hear stories of nurses having to pull out of the NHS pension because the cost of living is too high and they simply can’t afford the contributions. Agency work does offer a solution here, whether moving to an agency full time or simply utilising agency work to supplement your income, the reality is that agency work pays very well.
I would say it depends on lots of factors specific to your own personal situation but at most it can be a full-time, better-paid alternative, and at least, it is a viable part-time working model which can work around your main job and other commitments.
The best agency for nursing jobs: What makes Nurseplus stand out among other nursing recruitment agencies?
I would say that Nurseplus has the warmest and most engaging nursing community I have ever encountered in the healthcare staffing sector. Our branch network goes over and above to understand each individual nurse's requirements and preferences when it comes to flexible working.
The recruitment process is quick and easy and the branch staff take the time to get to know the nurses very well and always provide the very highest standard of service. Constant support is provided throughout and full training and revalidation support is a key part of our offering.
We have the balance of great pay and available shifts for our nurses and our commitment to excellence across the board is second to none. Our relationship with our nurses is based on mutual appreciation and respect and I know our nurses are proud to be Nurseplus nurses and we are proud to have them represent our brand.
At Nurseplus, we encourage our nurses to consider working with us for flexibility, for the chance to take control of their careers, and for the opportunity to pursue other life goals around their working commitments. We'd like to thank Richard for highlighting the brilliant opportunities we can offer our nurses and for sharing is thoughts on nursing in the UK.
