Signite's Magazine

Germans love abbreviations. And they need them too. Because they also love long, complex, unwieldy names – especially when it comes to laws. That’s why the new Nursing Competence Act is also called the ‘Act on the Expansion of Powers and Debureaucratisation in Nursing’, abbreviated to BEEP. The Bundesrat, the representative body of the federal […]

For nursing staff, the minimum wage, i.e. the minimum salary, is to be increased in two further steps. From July 2026, the minimum wage for unskilled nursing assistants from the current €16.10 to €16.52 per hour, rising to €16.95 a year later; qualified nursing assistants with at least one year of training will see their […]

The German Bundestag has passed a law to expand the powers of nursing staff and reduce bureaucracy in the nursing care sector. Nursing staff will be given significantly more powers and bureaucracy in nursing care is to be reduced. In future, nursing staff will also be allowed to carry out certain medical treatments on their […]

The German Parliament has passed a law introducing standardised training for nursing assistants throughout Germany. The aim is to modernise nursing care and secure long-term staffing needs. The Nursing Assistant Introduction Act – a typically long German word construction – creates an independent, nationally uniform professional profile that replaces the previous 27 nursing assistant and […]

Carers employed in public institutions, i.e. those belonging to the state, will receive more money in the first half of 2024. From 1 March, nursing staff employed in public institutions will receive more money. This is the result of the agreement reached in collective bargaining for the public sector at federal and municipal level. Their […]

According to the latest Skilled Labour Report from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), more than 80 percent of German companies fear negative consequences for their economic development due to labour shortages. The labour shortage is already forcing 40% of companies to reduce their own range of services, while others are losing orders, […]

The German Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK) has accused hospital employers of not taking enough action against the shortage of nursing staff. There is too often a lack of introduction of more attractive roles for nursing staff and modern, i.e. more flexible working time models. The reform of hospital structures currently being discussed by […]

German hospitals have a massive staffing problem in nursing. Almost every hospital (94%) has vacant nursing positions on general wards that are not filled. Three quarters of intensive care units have vacancies in intensive care. And in two thirds of hospitals with paediatric wards, positions remain unfilled. The figures are the result of a representative […]

Despite a significant increase in staffing levels in recent years, the shortage of staff continues to be a major problem for many hospitals in Germany. This is shown by the results of the new 2025 Skilled Labour Monitoring report by the German Hospital Federation (DKG), which is based on a survey of 135 hospitals. Between […]

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of new nursing trainees in 2024 increased by nine percent or 5,100 to around 59,500 across Germany compared to the previous year. However, the number of trainees in nursing has not changed across all three current training years: 147,100 people in 2024, and thus around 200 more […]

The German federal state of Saxony and its institutions are increasingly looking for nursing staff and are also turning their attention to other countries. Health Minister Petra Köpping is now pushing for more speed in the recognition of foreign qualifications. The recognition process should be made easier, faster and more effective: this begins with the […]

The Chamber of Nursing of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has collected comprehensive data on the nursing situation. According to this data, several cities in the state will experience a drastic shortage of nursing professionals. According to the chamber, the cities at particular risk are Coesfeld, Höxter, Kleve, Leverkusen, Minden-Lübbecke, Neuss, Soest, Steinfurt, […]

This is the very first news from Signite. In the future, interesting, important and sometimes funny things will be published here at irregular intervals – above all, but not only for nurses. We want to keep you informed and up to date about things you might not otherwise notice: because you don’t yet surf German […]