March 2020 – SANC

Circular 5/2020: Impact of Coronavirus outbreak on Nursing Education and Training

25 March 2020

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs)
	All Stakeholders

Impact of Coronavirus outbreak on Nursing Education and Training

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this circular is to provide:

	1.1 supportive guidance /reminder to Nursing Education Institutions on managing interrupted teaching and learning activities, in respect of students nurses and midwives.
	1.2 information to the National Department of Health, Provincial Departments of Health, and relevant stakeholders in respect of point 1.1 above.

2. BACKGROUND

	2.1 The Declaration of “a national state of disaster” by the State President on 15 March 2020, followed by pronouncement by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, on 17 March 2020, on measures to deal with COVID-19 threat in the post-school Education and Training Sector, refers. The South African Nursing Council supports, unequivocally, the measures and initiatives put in place by the South African Government in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
	2.2 The following, regarding academic breaks and academic interruptions for Student Nurses and Student Midwives in Nursing, need to be noted: o Students in the Post-School Education and Training Sector, specifically Universities, ordinarily have recesses in line with university calendars. o Student Nurses and Student Midwives in the rest of Nursing Education Institutions do not have recesses but normally take an annual leave which is scheduled by the respective Nursing Education Institutions, in collaboration with health establishments where they are placed for clinical teaching and learning.
	2.3 Despite these different arrangements, Student Nurses and Student Midwives are expected to meet the same specified theoretical and clinical/practical requirements in line with the requirements of the relevant nursing programme.
	2.4 The pronouncement by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, that all Post-School Institutions must close on 18 March 2020 is inclusive of “the CET Colleges, private higher education institutions and colleges, as well as all training colleges which are managed by other ministries, such as Nursing, Agricultural and other Colleges”.

3. IMPLICATIONS

While theoretical provisioning may continue through various distance learning modalities, Student Nurses and Midwives may not be able to meet the clinical/practical requirements of the their respective programmes, depending on the duration of the academic interruption.

4. WAYFORWARD

The Heads of Nursing Education Institutions are advised to:

	4.1 Comply with the pronouncement by both the President of the country and the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation;
	4.2 Explore, while contact teaching is hampered, various alternative methods to enhance theoretical provisioning; and
	4.3 Work on tentative recovery plans for implementation once the academic activities resume, that will ensure that more attention is given to clinical/ practical teaching and learning. The recovery plans should be kept as reference records for possible future discussions with the South African Nursing Council, where necessary.

5. ON SANC EXAMINATIONS

The examination conducted by SANC will go ahead as planned unless circumstances regarding the outbreak warrant that the SANC reschedules and in that event, the SANC will inform the candidates and the relevant stakeholders in due course.

6. IMPLEMENTATION

This Circular becomes implementable and valid on the date of issue.

For further information in respect of this Circular, you are advised to contact Ms SJ Nxumalo, SANC Senior Manager: Education &Training at (012) 420 1022 or on e-mail at: [email protected]

Yours sincerely,

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

Circular 4/2020: SANC office shutdown as per Presidential pronouncement

25 March 2020

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Private Health Care Providers
	All Stakeholders

SANC office shutdown as per Presidential pronouncement for control of Coronavirus outbreak spread

1. Following the President’s pronouncement of a nation-wide lockdown, on 23 March 2020, in order to curb the transmission of the Covid-19 virus, the South African Nursing Council will be shutting down operations at the SANC building as of midnight of 26 March 2020.

During this crucial period, the SANC services will not come to a standstill. Several measures have been put in place to ensure business continuation with key staff members working from home.

You are also reminded that you can use the tools already made available by the SANC for service delivery e.g. the eRegister to verify registration, the service emails as posted on the SANC website and social media pages, faxes, etc.

2. In addition, payments can still be made via electronic banking. A reminder about the relevant codes and banking details to be used when you do make a payment is attached to this communication for your convenience.

As distinguishing devices need to be posted or collected physically, we regret that this service will not be available during the shutdown period. All orders received will be processed as soon as the building has opened for operations again.

CODES TO BE USED BY INDIVIDUALS:

Description	Code
Admission of guilt fines	ADGUILT
Annual Fees	ANLFEES
Application Fees (foreign applications)	APPFEES
Certificate of Status Fee	CETSFEE
Replacement Certificate Fee	DUPCFEE
Examination Fees (foreign application exams)	EXAMFEE
Extract Fees (extract from the register)	EXTRFEE
Late Entry Fees (foreign exam applicants)	LATEFEE
Registration Fees (additional qualifications)	ADDQUAL
Registration Fees (assessors, moderators, verifiers)	ASSESSR
Registration Fees (practitioners)	REGFPRA
Remarking Fees (exams)	REMAFEE
Restoration Fees	RESTFEE
Transcript of Training Fees	TRANFEE
Verification Fees	VERIFEE
Purchasing of Distinguishing Devices	SALEDDS
Purchasing of Printed Matter (Nursing Act, regulations, etc.)	PRINMAT
Postage	POSTAGE
Other fees or payments (not mentioned above)	OTHRFEE

SANC Banking details for INDIVIDUAL payments:

Bank Name:	First National Bank
Business Trading Name:	S A Nursing Council
Account Number:	514 211 86 193
Branch Code:	253145
Reference:	SANC reference number followed by the relevant code

CODES TO BE USED BY INSTITUTIONS / ORGANISATIONS/ COMPANIES:

Description	Code
Accreditation Fees – Nursing Education Institution	ACFLEEN
Accreditation Fees – Reaccreditation of a Nursing Education Institution	ACFRENE
Accreditation Fees – Nursing Education Programme	ACFNEPR
Annual Nursing Education Institution Fee	ANNFNEI
Application Fees	APFAPCE
Audit Visit Fees	AUDVFEE
Examination Fees (candidates)	EXAMFEE
Focus Visit Fees (clinical facilities)	FVFCLNC
Focus Visit Fees (nursing education institution)	FVFENEI
Late Entry Fees (exam candidates)	LATEFEE
Registration Fees (additional qualifications)	ADDQUAL
Registration Fees (learners)	REGFLEN
Registration Fees (practitioners)	REGFPRA
Purchasing of Printed Matter (Nursing Act, regulations, etc.)	PRINMAT
Other fees or payments (not mentioned above)	OTHRFEE

SANC Banking details for BULK payments:

Bank Name:	First National Bank
Branch Name:	Corporate Core Banking – Pretoria
Branch Code:	253145
Account Name:	S A Nursing Council
Account Number:	514 251 66 282
Reference:	Company Name or School S-number

Please Note: To expedite the processing of transactions for payments made by direct deposits, nurse practitioners are requested to fax or email the proof of payment and prescribed SANC forms such as restoration forms, distinguishing devices form, registration form etc. to the contact details as provided on the form

Your co-operation is appreciated. We pray for your well-being during these trying times.

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

Press Release 1/2020 Nurses are at the forefront of the Coronavirus

Press Release 1/2020: Nurses are at the forefront of the Coronavirus

19 March 2020

TO:	News Editor
FROM:	Ms SA Mchunu Registrar and CEO

SANC: Nurses are at the forefront of the Coronavirus

The coronavirus outbreak is escalating and the burden on the healthcare system is increasing daily. Nurses are at the forefront of the healthcare system and therefore also of this outbreak, and crucial in combating this virus. The South African Nursing Council (SANC) would like to commend all nurses responsible for caring for those infected and dealing with long queues to assist patients.

Generally, Nurses are educated and trained in principles, guidelines and protocols regarding infection prevention and control and these continue to apply, regardless of the type of infection. However, employers remain responsible for, and are urged, to keep supporting nurses and providing additional supplies for infection control.

The SANC also implores employers to ensure that nurses have personal protective equipment (PPE) and access to running water to assist them to safely execute their duties. As the backbone of healthcare it is imperative that we protect the nursing staff as this will assist in curbing the spread of the virus and sustaining a healthy workforce.

The SANC calls on the public to keep nurses in mind and in their prayers – they are at risk and exposed, work long hours, deal with long queues and work under difficult circumstances while their own families are at home coping with the outbreak by themselves.

The public is reminded to always adhere to the following outbreak prevention guidelines: Maintain your distance from other people, wash your hands as per the approved protocol, sanitize your hands, do not cough or sneeze into your hands and do not touch your face. If you do suspect that you are infected please remember to dial the hotline numbers first, as going to a hospital or clinic directly means you are placing others at risk of infection. These hotline numbers are operational 24-hours a day: 0800 029 999 and 0800 111 132.

We call for calm. If we all work together and follow the guidelines, we will assist in curbing the spread.