When one nurse is successful in the courtroom or in business, others can follow.

Taxpayers_to_pay__outrageous____6m_for_disputed_healthcare_review_this_year/  Some call this kind of thing 'adding insult to injury' or 'rubbing salt in a wound.'  Anyone who pays taxes and finds out that 6 million pounds of it was spent on a review which concluded that St. Helier's Hospital should be closed and has already been  listed as one of  hospitals identified as not financially viable by a study called the 'Sustainable and Financially Effective' (SAFE) report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16880196
I don't want to be a smart Alec but will have to add this to highlight the ongoing saga for nurses who are in the midst of hospital closures.  Voltair said 'If common sense were very common, more people would have more of it.'
Tom Brake the MP for Carshaltonown spoke out about the plans to close St. Helier's Hospital which had recently been recognized for excellence in some areas of service such as the Emergency Room: "Millions have been spent on a review which hardly anyone supports locally.  It recommends the closure of the A&E at St Helier which has just received the best rating anywhere in England Wales and Northern Ireland for treating emergency patients with hip fractures and St Helier’s nationally renowned neo-natal unit.
The aim of the SAFE report is to achieve a 1.2 Billion pound efficiency savings by 2015.  421 million of which will be saved from cuts to nursing.  I have always heard hospital administrators say that the nursing budget was always high, but they do work 24/7.
The QE2 or Queen Elizabeth II hospital in Birmingham http://www.uhb.nhs.uk/about-the-trust.htm I am told is the second largest hospital in Europe.  I wonder what the patient satisfaction experiences are in comparison to smaller hospitals.  There is a tag on their web page to tell you how to find it.  It's so huge it would be hard not to see it from anywhere within a few mile radius I think!
Having the right legal representation is key for nurses who have to defend their licenses and barrister Michael Egan was able to win a positive outcome for his client Ms. Okeke who was charged with incompetence http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/high-court-rules-incompetent-nurses-cannot-be-struck-off/5063902.article#.UnVTKXA3uPZ  Human rights issues will help to protect nurses who can perhaps be required to go through some further education and training with a period of supervision versus revoking a license.  This case marks a turning point for nurses who are learning to stand up for themselves.
Where there is clear criminal action the police and courts automatically become involved as is the case with Victor Chua and under those conditions of inquiry the person is considered innocent until proven guilty which is democratic.

When it comes to money...money is important!  Nurses need to quickly get on their feet financially as the job market is competitive.  I recommend that you join companies that have their own marketing network to help you to learn how to sell and market the service or product that will help you to earn money fast.  Mary Kay is one such organization with offices in the US and UK for cosmetics.  Mary Kay started her business because she knew that cosmetic and liquor sales are always winners during hard economic times because people use these types of band-aids to help them feel better.  Network marketing is fairly new in the UK but more widely practiced in the US I think because of the expanse in territory has allowed for that kind of service presentation and delivery system because for some it would require a long journey to a retailer to buy products.  In the UK the people can be said to be more reserved and not used to discussing the kind of personal items they use with other people along with other barriers such as dismissing these businesses as making the people at the top of the organization rich at the expense of the new business start ups.  I believe the American work ethic has been instilled into people who join network marketing companies and once they find that they can earn money at this kind of thing then they recommend it to others.  My hope is that nurses will see that this kind of business model is a cash cow that will improve their circumstances.
Always consider the tax benefits of owning a small business and join sites such as Under 30 CEO to find tax savings tips.   For instance as a small business owner with Amway it is possible to travel overseas as a business expense if you have contacts living around the globe.  The possibilities are tremendous for growth with companies like Amway that experience continued financial growth in today's economy.
My very best wishes are with you as you go forward with your lives and seek new avenues for financial freedom.  Make the ceiling your new floor and don't let anything or anybody stop you.
Nurses Transition Network meeting at Starbucks in Windsor http://www.iberkshire.co.uk/profile/562705/Windsor/Starbucks-Coffee/ on Monday 4th at 10 am to 1130.  Nurses bring your networking cards and support each other during the time that you are unable to work under your nursing license or perhaps want to consider taking a break from your nursing career.
Warm Wishes, Rita.