An NHS boss has called for a shift of focus among people training for careers in nursing jobs .

Sir Keith Pearson, currently chair of the NHS Confederation, urged trainee nurses to recognise the shift from curative to palliative care.

Pearson is about to take up a new role as chair of Health Education England, with the responsibility of overseeing nurse education.

Speaking to Nursing Times, he urged new recruits to accept they were more likely to "care" rather than "cure".

He said that shifting focus in this way would help to boost standards on wards and cut student attrition rates.

His comments came ahead of a major speech to the Royal College of Nursing and in the wake of a major review into patient dignity.

Pearson said: "We must ensure that the workforce of tomorrow is trained to recognise the shift from curative to palliative care.

"Many people who go into medicine and nursing perhaps go in with real hope that they will be for the majority of their time involved in both caring and curing."

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Up to 40 frontline nursing jobs are set to be created, and so care will be improved, thanks to a scheme which gives community nurse team leaders and ward sisters more time.

Some £800,000 will be invested by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust on training and recruitment, which will enable community nurse team leaders and ward sisters to spend more of their time supervising, leading and managing patient care and staff.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has got behind the move and praised the trust for being a leader in the area.

Acting Director of Nursing at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Diane Murphy, said: "Investing in ward sisters and community nurse team leaders will enable them to concentrate on improving the high quality care we provide to our patients.

"They will achieve this by having more time to manage their staff and patients."

Regional Director for RCN Northern Region, Glenn Turp, said: "The ward sisters will have clear managerial and supervisory responsibilities for both the clinical teams and the patients they serve.

"This clear accountability will be welcomed by both patients and the clinical teams, because it will deliver better leadership, better care, and also means that when patients or staff have an issue, there is a clear "go-to" person to get it resolved."

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The British Medical Association has reminded GPs that nursing jobs in the UK must be filled by nurses who are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The BMA`s general practitioner`s committee has jointly written a letter with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the NMC reminding GPs of the severe repercussions they could face if they fail to check the employment credentials of their nurses.

Nurses have also been warned that they could be prosecuted if they falsely claim to be registered with the NMC.

Checking a nurse`s employment credentials is quick and easy and can be done through the NMC`s free employer confirmation service, which also contains data relating to conditions of practice, cautions or suspensions issued as a result of fitness to practice proceedings.

Judith Ellis, interim chair of the NMC, said: "As the regulator for the UK`s 670,000 nurses and midwives, it is the NMC`s duty to ensure the health and wellbeing of patients and the public. Nurses and midwives cannot legally practice in the UK unless they are registered with the NMC."

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Temporary staff in the nursing, medical and care sectors are in high demand, according to a survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

Despite a fall in temporary jobs, the REC found temporary staff continue to "provide an important outlet for employers and jobseekers".

Its research found there is also strong demand for temp staff in roles in IT, engineering, legal and HR.

Reflecting on the use of temporary staff in the medical sector, Kevin Green, the REC`s chief executive, said: "We believe this is because NHS trusts are recognising that using high quality temporary staff when they are needed is a cost effective solution to maintaining a quality service when budgets are being squeezed."

The findings will be welcomed by those seeking nursing jobs , as well as those hunting down jobs in social care .

The REC survey involved 400 employment firms. It found more than a million temporary workers are placed on assignments in any given week.

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