JNA News Release2011.December Vol.7

JNA News Release
Japanese Nursing Association
5-8-2 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, JAPAN

Tel: +81-3-5778-8559

Fax: +81-3-5778-5602

http://www.nurse.or.jp/jna/english/index.html

Holding of a hospital nurse administrators‟ discussion meeting
JapaneseNursing

Association(JNA)

helda“Internal project teamto promote „quality ofdiscussion meeting with 18 groups including theemployment‟ of nurses and other personnel” in thenurse administrators‟ organization, the nursing

MHLW. In the opinion exchange that followed, thereorganization and the nursing section of hospitalwere comments and request on the issues includingorganization to exchange opinions and to sharesecuring nurses on night shift, and securing nursing

information on nursing policy issues in hospitals.

At

personnel at small and medium-sized hospitals.

meeting, JNA explained our approach, in

We will hold the meeting about twice a year to get tostthe 1

cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Labour andknow the actual situation at clinical settings.■

Welfare (MHLW), which reflects the report from theCompletion of the MHLW report of the “PT on „quality of employment‟ ofnurses and other personnel” at the MHLW
JNA

lobbiedDietmembersandrelatedemployment.”

organizations to secure working conditions and anThe report from the MHLW indicates the difficult

environment, where nurses can continue to work.

working conditions of shift work in the hospitals, etc.,

As a result, in November 2010, the MHLW

including night shift, and the fragility of the labor

establishedtomanagement system, and it is based on thepromote „quality of employment‟ of nurses and otherfundamental idea that “a sustainable health carepersonnel” at the Minister's direction, and has

service system and the security of medical safety

conducted the necessary studies.

cannot be expected without improving the nursing

an“Internalprojectteam(PT)On June 17, theMHLW PT published a report, and on the same day,work conditions.”

issued a notification, “Approaches to promote

being epoch-making, since it goes as far as to ask the„quality of employment‟ of nurses and otherestablishment of a labor management system

personnel,” in the joint names of the Health Policy

concerning the improvement.

Bureau, Labour Standards Bureau, Employment

Besides the approach of the MHLW, JNA has madeSecurity Bureau, Equal Employment, Children andefforts to prepare a guideline for a target to improve

Families Bureau, and Health Insurance Bureau, tothe working conditions of night shift and shift work of

the prefectural governors. The issuance of thenursing personnel.

notification in the joint name of the five Bureaus isguideline based on the actual situation of nursing

an epoch-making event.

work in Japan and new knowledge in the field of labor

MHLW also requested a budget for fiscal year 2012

science. The reality is also that the work site cannot

to continue working on to promote of “quality ofmanage the working time without funding sources.

1|JNA values the report highly as

We have considered theJNA News Release2011 Vol.7

JNA requests a raise in the medical service fees

leave, such as maternity leave, childcare leave,(basic hospitalization charges), as a funding source

short-time work for childcare, and so on.

to secure funds to increase the number of nursing

these approaches, we aim to relieve the burden ofpersonnel needed to improve the working conditions.

night shift and the correction of long-hours‟ work ofWe also ask to calculate the placement of nursingnurses. ■Throughpersonnel on the assumption of accruing statutory

Report of the MHLW project team to promote "quality of employment" of nurses and other personnel(Japanese), the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, June 17, 2011
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/houdou/2r9852000001fog4-att/2r9852000001foyp.pdf

The 3rd Korea- China - Japan Nursing Conference
The 3rd Korea-China-Japan Nursing Conference hosted by the Korean Nurses Association and co-organized by
the Chinese Nursing Association and JNA was held in Seoul Special City, South Korea from 25 to 27 October.
Six hundred people from three countries participated in the conference and actively exchanged opinions under
the theme of the “Nurses‟ social responsibility and role.” ■Poster Session

From left, CNA President Xiuhua Li, ICN President Rosemary Bryant,
KNA President Kyung-Rim Shin, and JNA President Suga Sakamoto

Board members of JNA, KNA and CNA together withICN Board Kanai and former JNA President Hisatsune.

2|

JNA News Release2011 Vol.7

Nursing in Japan
Q. What are the placement of nursing personnel and basic hospitalization charges?
“Basic hospitalization charges” is the name of the “medical service fees,” that are paid to the hospital when apatient is hospitalized. A stipulated amount of money is paid for the patient, and the patient pays a fixed
percentage of it to the hospital (patient copayment).
The compensation for nursing services is included in the “basic hospitalization charges.” In addition, the basic
physician fee, and the ward environment (patient's bedroom, bedclothes, bathroom, dining room, airconditioning, fuel and lighting, tap water, and so on) are included in the “basic hospitalization charges.”“Basic hospitalization charges” are classified as follows.
“7 to 1” or “10 to 1” classification indicates the placement of nursing personnel per patient. For example, “7 to1” means that one nursing personnel takes care of seven patients for every 24 hours of a day.
The more generous the placement of nursing personnel per patient is, the higher the medical service fees thatare paid to the hospital.
Basic hospitalization charges at a general hospital (Example)
The example below is an estimate, assuming that one nursing personnel provides approximately 150 hours of
nursing care per month in a ward of 50 patients.
On night shift

On day shift

Total number of

Number of

Number of

Number of

Number ofnursing

nursing

patients per

nursing

patients perpersonnel

personnel on

nursing

personnel on

nursing

placedduty

personnel

duty

personnel

7 to 1

37

5

10

12

4.2

10 to 1

25

3

16.7

9

5.6

13 to 1

203

16.7

6

8.3

15 to 1

172

25

6

8.3

Classification

SpecialHospitals that do not meet the requirements for the placement of nursing personnel ortheir night duty, etc., make their own calculations.

News Topics in Japan
Preparations for the submission of a bill on specific practice nurses (tentative name) to the next Diet
sessionOn October 12, at the “Conference on the promotion of team care” of the MHLW, the MHLW said that it waspreparing to submit a bill on the institutionalization and legislation of the position of specific practice nurses(tentative name) to the next Diet session.

3|