http://www.nursingtimes.net http://www.nursingtimes.net http://www.nursingtimes.net/magazine/graphics/logo.png http://www.nursingtimes.net http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/are-nurses-too-quick-to-use-rapid-tranquillisation/5058566.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/are-nurses-too-quick-to-use-rapid-tranquillisation/5058566.blog Rapid tranquillisation on mental health wards is much-debated. 13 May, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/how-do-we-close-the-research-practice-gap/5058310.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/how-do-we-close-the-research-practice-gap/5058310.blog There is an old man who occasionally catches the same bus as me to the station. When he arrives at the bus stop there is an odour which in the confined space of the bus gets worse. 7 May, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/resources-for-community-clinics-must-match-those-of-the-hospital/5057958.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/resources-for-community-clinics-must-match-those-of-the-hospital/5057958.blog A friend recently tried to have a Doppler scan and tissue viability assessment in the community rather than in the hospital. 26 April, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/challenging-behaviour-is-often-a-symptom-not-a-personal-attack/5057709.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/challenging-behaviour-is-often-a-symptom-not-a-personal-attack/5057709.blog Throughout university we’d been taught that patients with this diagnosis can exhibit “challenging” behaviour, that they can divide teams and we should reflect on how we feel to avoid burnout. 19 April, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/would-you-accept-payment-from-the-drugs-industry/5057381.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/would-you-accept-payment-from-the-drugs-industry/5057381.blog Last week the ABPI released figures suggesting that doctors, nurses and other health professionals in the UK received £40m last year from pharmaceutical companies. The money pays for medical education events, training and development, and fees for services such as speaking engagements and participation in advisory boards. 12 April, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/no-other-profession-has-faced-the-implication-that-it-has-been-accepting-the-wrong-people/5057109.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/no-other-profession-has-faced-the-implication-that-it-has-been-accepting-the-wrong-people/5057109.blog Over the years I have seen the nursing profession deal with some enormous challenges, including seismic changes in nurse education, the eradication of an entire level of the profession and countless media storms – both justified and not. 5 April, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/does-the-government-response-support-frontline-nursing/5056737.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/does-the-government-response-support-frontline-nursing/5056737.blog The Francis report was clear that nursing was not working and made a series of recommendations broadly welcomed by the profession. Although it was damming about some nurses and the care they did not give it gave hope for the future. But this response to the detail and consideration in the Francis report feels a bit too much of a sideways swerve, a dodge even. 26 March, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/can-you-manage-nurses-if-you-dont-actually-nurse/5056481.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/can-you-manage-nurses-if-you-dont-actually-nurse/5056481.blog Years ago I worked with a nurse manager who was happy to tell her staff that their standards were too high. She rarely ventured onto the wards where standards of care were a problem. Wearing a suit and managing with extremely long arms from an office several floors away from her wards meant she rarely saw a patient let alone what was happening behind the curtains. 21 March, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/we-want-to-make-it-safe-for-health-professionals-to-speak-up-about-patient-care-and-safety-issues/5056278.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/we-want-to-make-it-safe-for-health-professionals-to-speak-up-about-patient-care-and-safety-issues/5056278.blog We often receive calls from people with random queries or requests that we simply can’t help with. 18 March, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/babies-have-fluid-levels/5056018.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/babies-have-fluid-levels/5056018.blog Six months ago I received my second favourite text to date. A picture of an eight week ultrasound and the words “You’re going to be an aunty!” 11 March, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/what-will-francis-do-to-address-lack-of-resources/5055659.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/what-will-francis-do-to-address-lack-of-resources/5055659.blog Many nurses feel like they are working in a war zone even though they are actually working in a NHS district general hospital in a town or in the outskirts of a city. They don’t have enough staff, enough equipment and feel stretched to their limits. They feel concerned they are failing their patients and not supporting families. 1 March, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/two-in-a-bed/5055433.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/two-in-a-bed/5055433.blog As a mental health nurse working on an acute ward, I found that all too frequently the handover I was given contained the dreaded words “two in a bed”. We didn’t physically have two patients sharing a bed, although a glance at the list of patients might make you think we were. This phrase referred to one patient being on leave and another patient being admitted in their absence. So a 20-bedded ward could technically be accommodating 21, 22 or more patients. Often, this meant the leave ... 26 February, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/sorry-not-my-patient/5054980.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/sorry-not-my-patient/5054980.blog No patient’s care should ever be reduced to a job list. Yet nurses have resorted to task-based care in NHS organisations that have failed to put patients first. 14 February, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/to-leave-the-francis-report-gathering-dust-would-be-an-insult/5054817.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/to-leave-the-francis-report-gathering-dust-would-be-an-insult/5054817.blog   11 February, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/it-is-hard-to-hear-criticism-of-the-nursing-profession/5054636.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/it-is-hard-to-hear-criticism-of-the-nursing-profession/5054636.blog For those of you out there who are striving every day to deliver compassionate and high-quality care to your patients within the current resource and staffing constraints of the current NHS, this is an even more difficult day than usual. It is hard to hear criticism of the profession. 6 February, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/she-was-terrified-of-the-very-people-who-should-have-been-there-to-care-for-her/5054551.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/she-was-terrified-of-the-very-people-who-should-have-been-there-to-care-for-her/5054551.blog Isabella Bailey was admitted to mid Stafford hospital with a hiatus hernia. During her hospital stay her family became so concerned about standards of care on ward 11 they decided to keep watch over her 24 hours a day. 5 February, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/punitive-financial-penalties-wont-produce-the-results-that-patients-deserve/5053973.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/punitive-financial-penalties-wont-produce-the-results-that-patients-deserve/5053973.blog Pressure ulcer reduction is one of the latest targets directed at nurses, as reported by Nursing Times last week. New rules linking them to trust funding mean you will face increased pressure to hit targets on reducing pressure ulcers this year. 24 January, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/do-you-remember-your-first-week-in-nursing/5053777.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/do-you-remember-your-first-week-in-nursing/5053777.blog It’s freshers’ week and all over the country student nurses will be starting out on a training  that will contain experiences and challenges that will be with them for the rest of their life. Nurse training changes your life – not just in career terms but also personally. 17 January, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/nursing-must-not-carry-the-can-for-mid-staffs/5053488.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/nursing-must-not-carry-the-can-for-mid-staffs/5053488.blog While there can be few groups within the NHS looking forward to the Francis report into Mid Staffordshire Trust, the nursing profession appears to have most to fear. Large swathes of the general media already seem to assume that the largest proportion of blame rests with nurses. 10 January, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/are-nurses-born-or-made/5053271.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/are-nurses-born-or-made/5053271.blog Everyone has an opinion on what makes a good nurse. Words such as kind, caring, empathetic, patient, efficient, compassionate, organised, giving and thoughtful trip off the tongue – and then there are the thorny question of cleverness and vocation. 3 January, 2013 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/what-are-your-new-year-resolutions-at-work-/5053027.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/what-are-your-new-year-resolutions-at-work-/5053027.blog It seems that my resolutions have a five to one hit rate – that is of five resolutions only one will come good. But nevertheless I am thinking now about my list of do more/do less and hoping that some of them will stick. 18 December, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/when-making-a-difference-makes-it-all-worth-it/5052924.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/when-making-a-difference-makes-it-all-worth-it/5052924.blog One of my oldest and dearest friends reappeared in my life late last year, over 20 years after disappearing. She had spent the intervening years battling severe mental health problems that made her assume her friends and family wanted nothing to do with her. These have not gone away, but she has felt able to get back in contact with people. 13 December, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/why-should-you-buy-your-manager-a-christmas-present/5052923.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/why-should-you-buy-your-manager-a-christmas-present/5052923.blog I was idling my time away on twitter a few weeks ago and came across a blog by Dean Royles, the director of the NHS Employers. 13 December, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/the-care-gap-that-cheats-nurses-and-patients-alike/5052673.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/the-care-gap-that-cheats-nurses-and-patients-alike/5052673.blog As the news focuses again on the dangers of going into hospital and the pressure I wonder if we are missing something fundamental. 6 December, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/six-step-dementia-care-approach-must-be-given-a-chance/5052452.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/six-step-dementia-care-approach-must-be-given-a-chance/5052452.blog Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are devastating both for those unlucky enough to develop them, but also their families. 30 November, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/is-interdisciplinary-the-new-multidisciplinary/5052153.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/is-interdisciplinary-the-new-multidisciplinary/5052153.blog It was when I was editing one of this week’s articles on stroke that I was struck by the reference to interdisciplinary working and how it was benefiting patients.    22 November, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/why-people-living-with-bipolar-deserve-better/5051894.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/why-people-living-with-bipolar-deserve-better/5051894.blog For 35 years my mother lived with bipolar disorder. It is difficult to imagine what it must have been like for her not to sleep for days on end and at other times just sit and cry and cry and cry. It was hard enough watching it. 15 November, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/the-lcp-is-only-as-good-as-the-people-who-use-it/5051696.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/the-lcp-is-only-as-good-as-the-people-who-use-it/5051696.blog One of the worst examples in recent history was the hysteria whipped up about the MMR jab, on the basis of highly questionable evidence from a tiny sample of children. This evidence has now been utterly discredited, but not before vaccination rates dropped to dangerous levels. 9 November, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/beeping-is-hindering-patient-recovery/5051355.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/beeping-is-hindering-patient-recovery/5051355.blog A recent US study has revealed that overnight noise levels in intensive care units often exceed levels recommended by the World Health Organization. The assumptions seems to be that if patients are asleep, sedated and even unconscious they won’t be affected by the beeping and noises of machines. 1 November, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/nutrition/making-informed-choices-on-healthy-eating/5051084.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/nutrition/making-informed-choices-on-healthy-eating/5051084.blog Levels of obesity in the UK are rising at alarming rates in all age groups, and its knock-on effects will be seen in terms of ill health for the individuals concerned and costs to health and social care providers. High fat and sugar intakes are also contributing to rising incidence of other long-term conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. 25 October, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/prescribing/have-you-ever-made-a-drug-error/5050838.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/prescribing/have-you-ever-made-a-drug-error/5050838.blog The dose was ten times larger than had been prescribed and the baby died. A registrar had prescribed 5ml of sodium chloride but the baby was wrongly given 50ml. 18 October, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/is-resilience-more-useful-in-healthcare-than-wellbeing/5050445.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/is-resilience-more-useful-in-healthcare-than-wellbeing/5050445.blog I have been hearing the term resilience used more and more in healthcare and have thinking that it works well in the place of the term wellbeing which is now so over used it is almost without meaning.  10 October, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/are-you-up-to-date-with-bowel-management/5050162.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/are-you-up-to-date-with-bowel-management/5050162.blog Bowel care is part and parcel of nurses work and it is worth reading this personal reflection to get a sense of how long term problems effect relationships, work and self esteem. 3 October, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/wound-care/do-nurses-know-enough-about-wound-care/5049672.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/wound-care/do-nurses-know-enough-about-wound-care/5049672.blog We were responding to an international, multidisciplinary study which highlighted the need for all health professionals to receive a basic level of education about wounds in undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes. 21 September, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/lets-hope-the-rcns-campaign-reassures-the-public-that-nursing-hasnt-lost-its-way/5049497.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/practice-team-blog/lets-hope-the-rcns-campaign-reassures-the-public-that-nursing-hasnt-lost-its-way/5049497.blog For the past two years nursing has been hit by a barrage of reports into devastating failures in care. 17 September, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/lets-not-make-a-habit-of-neglecting-certain-diseases/5049104.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/lets-not-make-a-habit-of-neglecting-certain-diseases/5049104.blog Unfortunately it is often the same group of patients - allergy is one example, patients with lymphoedema another. Patients with stroke was a particularly desperate example until the launch of the stroke strategy and accompanying investment finally made a difference. Another is chronic fatigue syndrome with a report out this week detailing the continuing failure of services to patients with this condition. 7 September, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/immunology/why-are-we-facing-one-of-the-biggest-outbreaks-of-measles-in-decades/5048836.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/immunology/why-are-we-facing-one-of-the-biggest-outbreaks-of-measles-in-decades/5048836.blog My children were due their MMR vaccinations when the debate about the safety of the vaccine was at its peak. I remember vividly the hysteria that accompanied the publication of Andrew Wakefield’s paper in 1998. Parents talked about herd immunity, believing it would protect their child but not understanding they had to be part of the herd to make it work. Messing about with single vaccines resulted in many of my friends’ children never getting the full two doses. And there was a strongly ... 31 August, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/time-for-the-nhs-to-hit-back-against-fraudulent-claims/5048675.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/time-for-the-nhs-to-hit-back-against-fraudulent-claims/5048675.blog She mentioned how she had been subpoenaed to appear in court as a witness in a false claim for work-related injury brought by a nurse on her ward. 24 August, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/maybe-its-time-for-cinderella-to-go-to-the-ball/5048415.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/maybe-its-time-for-cinderella-to-go-to-the-ball/5048415.blog It’s a long time since I worked as a care assistant in a home for older women with dementia, and back then older people’s nursing (or geriatric nursing as it was known) was called the Cinderella service. It was seen as a backwater where nurses went if they had either no talent or no aspirations. 17 August, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/does-anyone-remember-when-patients-made-the-hot-drinks/5048170.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/does-anyone-remember-when-patients-made-the-hot-drinks/5048170.blog When I was a student we used to ask patients to do the milky drinks rounds in the evenings. 10 August, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/patients-who-put-nurses-before-themselves-need-putting-straight/5047896.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/patients-who-put-nurses-before-themselves-need-putting-straight/5047896.blog An elderly woman said to me recently that she wore incontinence pads because it was easier for the nurses. 3 August, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nothing-in-nursing-is-really-simple-comprehension-of-its-complexity-is-vital/5047642.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nothing-in-nursing-is-really-simple-comprehension-of-its-complexity-is-vital/5047642.blog Like many of you who commented on the story on this website, I question whether the staff had grasped the significance of their patient’s diagnosis. 27 July, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/the-time-that-students-offer-to-patients-can-be-invaluable/5047386.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/the-time-that-students-offer-to-patients-can-be-invaluable/5047386.blog In this time of stretched resources and staff cuts, student nurses can provide an extra element of care for patients. 23 July, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/whistleblowers-need-a-supportive-stance-to-be-reflected-in-uk-law/5047071.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/whistleblowers-need-a-supportive-stance-to-be-reflected-in-uk-law/5047071.blog The recent news that pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline had received a record-breaking fine for fraud grabbed my attention. 13 July, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/it-can-be-hard-for-acute-units-to-change-their-mindset-to-care-for-the-dying/5046878.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/it-can-be-hard-for-acute-units-to-change-their-mindset-to-care-for-the-dying/5046878.blog A report has found that relatives and carers are less satisfied with the experience of having a loved one be cared for in an acute hospital setting than in a hospice or at home. 9 July, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/when-i-first-heard-about-the-family-and-friends-test-i-was-sceptical/5046672.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/when-i-first-heard-about-the-family-and-friends-test-i-was-sceptical/5046672.blog Last week my new neighbour asked if I could recommend my GP practice. 3 July, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/we-all-make-assumptions-about-our-patients-and-their-relationships/5046368.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/we-all-make-assumptions-about-our-patients-and-their-relationships/5046368.blog Many years ago I nursed a man, Jim (not his real name) who was a widower. 26 June, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/why-are-nurses-still-afraid-of-opioids/5046154.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/why-are-nurses-still-afraid-of-opioids/5046154.blog Nurses’ understanding of pain treatment is essential for its effective management. Yet effective pain control often eludes those who most need it particularly when opioid analgesics are involved. 20 June, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/when-we-see-a-patients-condition-deteriorating-the-instinct-to-save-usually-kicks-in/5045794.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/when-we-see-a-patients-condition-deteriorating-the-instinct-to-save-usually-kicks-in/5045794.blog The only way health professionals can be sure of spotting it is if initial assessment on admission is thorough, and is repeated at appropriate intervals. It is also important that all members of the healthcare team are clear about what treatments or interventions are appropriate. 8 June, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/its-too-easy-to-forget-the-simple-things-that-make-a-big-difference/5045391.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/its-too-easy-to-forget-the-simple-things-that-make-a-big-difference/5045391.blog Looking out of my window at the garden on a lovely sunny day reminds me of my Dad. He loved the summer, sitting in the back garden with my Mum. 28 May, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/hiving-off-important-responsibilities-devalues-nurses-skills/5045181.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/hiving-off-important-responsibilities-devalues-nurses-skills/5045181.blog News that a West Midlands trust is to extend a scheme whereby unemployed people deliver patient care makes me deeply uncomfortable. 22 May, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/we-need-more-health-visitors-and-more-district-nurses/5044833.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/we-need-more-health-visitors-and-more-district-nurses/5044833.blog The recent report on community nursing released at RCN Congress highlights the pressure that community nursing is currently under. 14 May, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/how-can-you-revise-if-you-dont-have-a-plan/5044538.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/how-can-you-revise-if-you-dont-have-a-plan/5044538.blog Along with “What biology coursework is now on You Tube?” and “How can you revise when your physics book is downstairs?” Sadly my daily lecture on the benefits of a plan, to-do lists, colour pens and PostIt notes is greeted with, at best, rolling eyes and a “whatever”. 4 May, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/we-must-recognise-when-medical-intervention-is-inappropriate/5044299.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/we-must-recognise-when-medical-intervention-is-inappropriate/5044299.blog One parent has cancer, and has been on the Liverpool Care Pathway for weeks. She and her family have received excellent care and support, which has focused on keeping her comfortable and offering emotional and practical support to her and her loved ones. 27 April, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/trolleys-as-bedshow-have-we-come-to-this/5044054.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/trolleys-as-bedshow-have-we-come-to-this/5044054.blog You realise what trouble we are in when policy advice is being given on whether it is best to look after patients on a trolley in A&E or on a trolley in a ward corridor. We seem to have got past the point where either of these situations are unacceptable and are now being seen as inevitable. 20 April, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nurses-have-to-knowingly-carry-out-detrimental-bed-manoeuvres-every-day/5043890.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nurses-have-to-knowingly-carry-out-detrimental-bed-manoeuvres-every-day/5043890.blog Listening to recent news reports on discharge from hospital at night I wondered where were the nurses representing the needs of a 94-year-old man sent home at 1am in the morning. 16 April, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/the-battle-for-nurse-representation-on-ccg-boards-isnt-over/5043473.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/the-battle-for-nurse-representation-on-ccg-boards-isnt-over/5043473.blog After all, who would ever assume the bulk of NHS care commissioning could be done effectively without the involvement of the largest group of health professionals. 2 April, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/our-nurses-are-burnt-out-but-still-offering-good-care/5043472.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/our-nurses-are-burnt-out-but-still-offering-good-care/5043472.blog It was probably not much of a surprise to nurses out there on the frontline that their experiences are nearer to those of nurses in Greece, a country facing economic meltdown, than nurses in countries we would feel more usually feel comparable with such as Holland. 2 April, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/is-three-years-long-enough-to-prepare-our-nurses-for-practice/5043176.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/is-three-years-long-enough-to-prepare-our-nurses-for-practice/5043176.blog When I was a student there were very few options for dressing a wound; eusol and paraffin, paraffin gauze, hydrogen peroxide or a dry dressing. 26 March, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/public-health/many-nurses-would-not-wish-to-administer-the-drugs-to-end-an-intolerable-life/5042905.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/public-health/many-nurses-would-not-wish-to-administer-the-drugs-to-end-an-intolerable-life/5042905.blog The subject of assisted suicide, it seems, just won’t go away. 19 March, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/there-are-not-many-days-when-you-dont-meet-a-patient-with-diabetes/5042567.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/there-are-not-many-days-when-you-dont-meet-a-patient-with-diabetes/5042567.blog I was up in Glasgow for the Diabetes UK annual conference last week. 12 March, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/patients-must-retain-the-right-to-decide-how-they-are-referred-to-by-health-professionals/5042163.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/patients-must-retain-the-right-to-decide-how-they-are-referred-to-by-health-professionals/5042163.blog As a student nurse I was taught to address patients formally - Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms - unless they requested otherwise. It was drummed into us that patients must never be labelled as bed numbers or by their diagnosis - “the stroke in bed 4” was deemed unacceptable as were terms of endearment such as “sweetheart”. 1 March, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/tackling-drug-use-costs-the-uk-eye-watering-sums/5041962.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/tackling-drug-use-costs-the-uk-eye-watering-sums/5041962.blog Our Practice section contains two articles about the use of illegal drugs – one about the legal and ethical issues nurses face when their patients use cannabis for therapeutic reasons, and one discussing nurses’ attitudes to substance users, and whether drugs should be decriminalised. 27 February, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/its-good-news-for-practice-nurses/5041730.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/its-good-news-for-practice-nurses/5041730.blog News that a training course for practice nurse training is to be accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is significant. 20 February, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/being-a-student-nurse-makes-you-grow-up-fast/5041482.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/being-a-student-nurse-makes-you-grow-up-fast/5041482.blog I was watching some student nurses deliver some sensitive and effective care on a ward last week. 14 February, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/ward-sisters-are-the-lynchpins-that-hold-wards-together/5041028.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/ward-sisters-are-the-lynchpins-that-hold-wards-together/5041028.blog “It’s so bizarre how differently one is treated in a Sisters uniform…” @lopo485 2 February, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/oppose-the-heath-bill-and-be-ignored/5040832.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/oppose-the-heath-bill-and-be-ignored/5040832.blog The royal colleges - representing health professionals (whether these are medics, nurses or midwives) - are not natural rebels. 30 January, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/ignore-the-politics-and-take-a-good-look-at-intentional-rounding/5040163.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/ignore-the-politics-and-take-a-good-look-at-intentional-rounding/5040163.blog The principles underlying the approach are sound. Any system that guides the organisation of care to build a therapeutic relationship between nurses and patients has to be welcomed. An article by Gregory Dix published in this week’s Nursing Times outlines how IR has had a positive effect on care on a medical admission unit in his trust. It enabled nurses to be proactive rather than reactive, anticipate patients’ needs and find out what works for them. I don’t think there is much to ... 13 January, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/dont-rush-to-judgement-on-stepping-hill/5039938.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/dont-rush-to-judgement-on-stepping-hill/5039938.blog Now that a second nurse from Stepping Hill Hospital, Victorino Chua, l has been arrested for allegedly tampering with medication, I wonder whether those who attacked Rebecca Leighton so viciously will reflect on their actions. 9 January, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/deciding-to-quit-may-not-be-enough/5039731.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/deciding-to-quit-may-not-be-enough/5039731.blog A friend told me on New Year’s Eve that she was going to quit smoking. 3 January, 2012 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/many-nurses-have-no-part-in-decision-making-processes-that-directly-impact-on-patient-care/5039427.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/many-nurses-have-no-part-in-decision-making-processes-that-directly-impact-on-patient-care/5039427.blog Mary is a sister on a surgical ward. She was told a few months ago that theatres no longer have staff to escort patients back to the ward after 5pm, so ward nurses now have to collect them. Mary only has four staff on a late shift and queried how they will manage, but the business manager said there is no alternative. On the first evening of the new system two nurses went off on escort, buzzers started ringing and a patient complained about having to wait 15 minutes for a bedpan. A ... 15 December, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/in-their-late-sixties-how-will-nurses-keep-up-with-the-demands-of-the-job/5039056.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/in-their-late-sixties-how-will-nurses-keep-up-with-the-demands-of-the-job/5039056.blog The debate about whether the country can afford to pay public sector pensions will, I’m sure, continue to rage long after the current dispute is resolved. And I doubt some sections of the media will ever stop referring to them as ‘gold-plated’. 8 December, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/nothing-happens-at-the-weekend/5038551.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/nothing-happens-at-the-weekend/5038551.blog Patients should be as safe in hospital at the weekend as they are during the week. And from a nursing point of view we need to avoid that ‘nothing happens at the weekend’ feeling that patients can get. 29 November, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/dermatology/washing-my-patients-feet/5038153.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/dermatology/washing-my-patients-feet/5038153.blog Without even thinking I replied “washing patients’ feet!” Perhaps an odd answer but for me, somehow, it sums up what nursing is all about. 18 November, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/infection-control/the-students-situation-could-be-a-sign-of-worse-things-to-come/5037761.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/infection-control/the-students-situation-could-be-a-sign-of-worse-things-to-come/5037761.blog How ironic that one in four student nurses who responded to our survey had difficulty in getting a flu jab. 10 November, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/lets-nap-on-nights-but-not-in-the-bath/5037611.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/lets-nap-on-nights-but-not-in-the-bath/5037611.blog When one of my nursing friends was on nights she used to have a sleep in one of the ward baths during her break. 7 November, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/the-changed-demands-of-healthcare-require-organisational-commitment/5037301.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/the-changed-demands-of-healthcare-require-organisational-commitment/5037301.blog The media storm following publication of the latest CQC report on hospital care of older people has abated has left health professionals – and particularly nurses – feeling bruised and battered. 31 October, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/every-interaction-with-a-patient-is-a-therapeutic-one/5036606.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/every-interaction-with-a-patient-is-a-therapeutic-one/5036606.blog She described this as her survival technique on a ward where she knew she couldn’t be in three places at once. “When I realised I no longer felt their pain, I knew it was time to leave” she said. 17 October, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/where-do-you-find-your-patience/5036284.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/where-do-you-find-your-patience/5036284.blog There are countless pressures and incidents that require your patience throughout the nursing shift. 10 October, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/my-top-10-suggestions-for-improving-nursing/5035938.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/my-top-10-suggestions-for-improving-nursing/5035938.blog We have many problems and they all need to be addressed if we want to get nursing back on track. I don’t claim to be an expert but I have pulled together my top 10 suggestions. Please change, adapt, disagree as you see fit - I can take it. But let’s have a clinically focused conversation about what really matters to nurses and their patients. So, with a deep breath and in no particular order:My top 10Wards should have staffing levels and skill ... 3 October, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/critical-care/weve-all-had-to-insist-our-parents-receive-a-fundamental-aspect-of-care-quickly/5035424.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/critical-care/weve-all-had-to-insist-our-parents-receive-a-fundamental-aspect-of-care-quickly/5035424.blog Depending on how you want to look at it, our collective parents are either draining the NHS of vast proportions of its resources or keeping an awful lot of health professionals in gainful employment. 22 September, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/staff-need-to-be-clear-about-what-constitutes-theft/5035144.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/staff-need-to-be-clear-about-what-constitutes-theft/5035144.blog Most parents will have experienced that terrible moment when their first born child comes home from nursery school with a piece of logo or a Playmobile man tucked into a pocket. Did they put it there by accident or did they steal it? What do you do? 19 September, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/its-a-bit-of-a-shame-there-are-no-men-in-the-ward-she-said/5034949.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/its-a-bit-of-a-shame-there-are-no-men-in-the-ward-she-said/5034949.blog It all seemed pretty straightforward, the drive to have single sex wards and bays. 14 September, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/its-a-disservice-to-most-nurses-if-we-use-poor-care-to-define-the-profession/5034499.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/management/its-a-disservice-to-most-nurses-if-we-use-poor-care-to-define-the-profession/5034499.blog A Mail online article which criticised the use of tabards also talked about a crisis in nursing. Detailing a story of poor care the author said: ‘Talk to anyone who’s spent time in an NHS hospital recently and, nine times out of ten, you’ll get a similarly unhappy story.’ 2 September, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/do-nurse-badges-have-any-relevance-to-nurses-today/5034018.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/do-nurse-badges-have-any-relevance-to-nurses-today/5034018.blog Having a clear out at home a few weeks ago I came across an old jewellery box, a Christmas present from my parents some 35 years ago. 22 August, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/evidence-or-instinct/5033789.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/evidence-or-instinct/5033789.blog Should you wake patients at 2am to measure vital signs? We posed this question last week in Behind the Rituals and the debate is still going on in Twitterland. 15 August, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/a-lot-of-research-is-barely-seen-by-the-nurses-who-could-use-it/5033548.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/a-lot-of-research-is-barely-seen-by-the-nurses-who-could-use-it/5033548.blog One of the reasons I love my job is that it feels worthwhile. I and the rest of the practice team may not be actually delivering patient care, but we are helping you to do so. We do this by publishing double-blind peer reviewed articles, written in plain English by experts in their fields and focusing on the implications for nursing practice. 9 August, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/nurses-make-the-most-awful-patients/5033342.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/educators/nurses-make-the-most-awful-patients/5033342.blog Nurses are not always good at being patients. 2 August, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/older-people/whats-the-matter-with-nursing/5033005.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/older-people/whats-the-matter-with-nursing/5033005.blog “What’s the matter with nursing?” cried a BMJ editorial a few weeks ago. Just about everyone seems to have a view, with many commentators looking for a scapegoat or a quick fix. Many of my friends know exactly what’s wrong. They don’t make nurses like they used to. In our day… 25 July, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/district-and-community-nursing/training-to-be-a-health-visitor-takes-a-leap-of-faith/5032705.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/district-and-community-nursing/training-to-be-a-health-visitor-takes-a-leap-of-faith/5032705.blog Being a health visitor has characteristics that makes it different from many other nursing roles. You don’t wear a uniform, you manage your own caseload, you visit clients in their own homes and rarely carry out a nursing procedure. 18 July, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/home/clinical-zones/continence/you-dont-have-to-be-a-prima-ballerina-to-deserve-a-little-dignity/5032404.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/home/clinical-zones/continence/you-dont-have-to-be-a-prima-ballerina-to-deserve-a-little-dignity/5032404.blog Like Eileen Shepherd, I was appalled at the story of Elaine McDonald, who lost a supreme court appeal against the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s decision to withdraw the night-time care that enabled her to use the toilet. 11 July, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/home/clinical-zones/continence/i-went-from-mild-discomfort-to-anxiety-then-panic-as-i-held-onto-a-full-bladder/5032334.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/home/clinical-zones/continence/i-went-from-mild-discomfort-to-anxiety-then-panic-as-i-held-onto-a-full-bladder/5032334.blog I was driving on the motorway a couple of days ago counting the miles to the next services and regretting the second cup of tea I had before I set off. 8 July, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/dermatology/two-hourly-three-hourly-turns-what-we-do-just-doesnt-work/5032236.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/dermatology/two-hourly-three-hourly-turns-what-we-do-just-doesnt-work/5032236.blog I have been really interested in your debate about the effectiveness of 30 degree tilts to reduce pressure ulcers. 6 July, 2011 http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/being-a-nurse-changes-everything/5031905.blog http://www.nursingtimes.net/opinion/being-a-nurse-changes-everything/5031905.blog We take our jobs home with us like our uniforms. 29 June, 2011