Nursing needs its leaders to respond to FrancisNursing Times
27 November 2007
View all stories from this issue.
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‘Healthcare is somewhat different from shopping’
We’ve known for a while that health service managers would like the NHS to function the way proper ‘businesses’ like supermarkets do. From a managerial perspective, it lacks a little something – like balloons, for example, and the nice ca-ching noise the cash register makes -
‘One nurse’s kindness can help a bereaved family cope’
My brother died today. I stare at this page feeling unable to write the next line. I’m stuck remembering that dreaded 6am call, when I heard his wife say: ‘I tried resuscitating… paramedics came… but…’. Time of death… age 43… leaving a wife, five-year-old daughter, brother, mother and father grieving in a hospital’s chapel of rest -
‘We must be reassured that patients’ records will be protected appropriately’
HM Revenue and Customs last week lost the details of 25 million people. Steve McNally looks at the implications for the planned database of medical records for 50 million NHS patients in England -
Admission prevention tool updated
A tool that helps prevent emergency hospital re-admissions has been updated to identify nursing interventions more accurately and increase savings. -
Agency Nurse of the Year Award
Winner: Tim Bennett British Nursing AssociationAgency Nurse of the Year for 2007 is Tim Bennett (pictured) from the British Nursing Association. Unlike many agency nurses, Tim works on a long-term basis with two clients in their own homes. Both are paralysed and have extremely complex needs and Tim takes a leading role in coordinating their care and ensuring that other professionals understand their needs -
All families should receive HV visits
An online charity for mothers has called on the government to provide health visitors for all families rather than just those considered at risk as is being proposed in the current review of health visiting roles. -
Are nurses and patients still at risk?
Inspectors have revisited a trust with major failings in infection control, with some worrying findings, reports Emma Vere-Jones -
Call for specialist trauma centres
Trauma care should be moved to specialist centres, say nurses in the wake of a highly critical review. -
Cancer Nurse Leader of the Year Award
Winner: Liz Darlison University Hospitals of Leicester NHS TrustIn cancer nursing, possibly more acutely than any other area of nursing care, the quality of nursing leadership sets the tone, delivering an environment in which exceptionally high-quality care can be nurtured and delivered. The inaugural winner of this award is Liz Darlison (pictured), consultant nurse at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and for Mesothelioma UK -
Chief Nursing Officer’s Award
Winner: Nicky Hepden Berkshire West PCTWinner, in the inaugural year of this award, is Nicky Hepden (pictured). She helped set up – and now leads – the Baker Street Clinic, initially aimed at providing health services for people who were homeless and had difficulty accessing mainstream healthcare. The service has now expanded to include sex workers, hostel residents, those living in temporary accommodation and other ‘hard-to-reach clients’ -
Child Health Award
Winner: Leeds Metropolitan UniversityGetting sorted – self-care workshops for young people with diabetes: This was a truly inspirational project in which young people researched, developed, implemented and evaluated a self-care programme for young people with diabetes. Executed entirely by themselves, with senior lecturer Liz Webster (pictured second from left) , the programme produced spectacular improvements in the confidence, self-esteem and communication skills of -
Child obesity data no help by itself
Government plans to send children’s weight data to parents will be meaningless without adequate explanation and support, warn nurses. -
Clinic for homeless leads to CNO award
Nicky Hepden, lead nurse at the Baker Street Clinic in Berkshire West PCT, has won the inaugural chief nursing officer’s award at the 2007 NT Awards. -
Clinical Development: A framework for effective communication skills
This article outlines a framework for nurses to further develop their communication skills during interaction with patients. It also shows how to implement this framework in nursing practice. -
Clinical News In Brief
Clinical news in brief -
Clinical Research: Men’s experiences of partners’ postnatal depression
Author Godfrey Muchena, MSc, BSc, Diploma Mental Health Nursing, Diploma Education, RMN, is community mental health nurse, crisis assessment and treatment team, Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.Abstract Muchena, G. (2007) Men’s experiences of partners’ postnatal mental illness. Nursing Times; 103: 48.This study explored men’s reactions to fatherhood and their knowledge and attitudes about postnatal mental illness. Men experienced s -
Clinical Update: Improving response to signs of patient deterioration
A new report from the National Patient Safety Agency aims to help nurses recognise and respond to patient deterioration to prevent serious incidents. Nerys Hairon reportsKeywords: Critical Care, Patient Safety, Education -
Continence Award
Winner: Liverpool PCTDeveloping an integrated paediatric continence promotion service: In a category of extremely high-standard entries, the winner is an integrated paediatric promotion continence service, developed across four PCTs and an acute trust -
Critical outreach data proves nurses right
Critical care outreach teams can significantly reduce deaths from cardiac and respiratory causes, Canadian research has confirmed -
Development: A framework for effective communication skills in patient education
A framework for nurses to further improve and develop their communication skills during interaction with patients.Keywords: Education, Communication, Patient education -
Flu response will draft in students
The government is seeking changes to the law to allow the emergency registration of final-year nursing students in the event of a flu pandemic. -
Infection Control Award
Winner: Swansea NHS TrustThe value of an infection-reduction programme in reducing incidence of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in patients receiving haemodialysis: Winner of the infection control category is Swansea NHS Trust, presented by Jan Price (pictured right) and Delyth Davies (pictured left), for a far-sighted project aimed at reducing the incidence of S. aureus in patients on haemodialysis -
Innovation On Your Specialty Award
Winner: West Essex PCTCommunity management of recurrent pleural effusions: Ram Gulrajani (pictured) developed the UK’s first service to manage recurrent pleural effusions in the community, making an enormous contribution to his patients’ quality of life -
Is it ok to go out with a patient?
A patient, who will remain on your ward for at least a few weeks following a road accident, asks you if you will go on a date with them after they are discharged. You want to accept but are not sure it is professional. -
Job Opportunities In Brief
Job Opportunities In Brief -
Learning disability CD created
Two nurses have developed an electronic training package to help frontline staff encourage clients with learning disabilities to become more socially included. -
Letters
Letters -
Listen Up
Who is really benefiting from extended nursing roles? -
Maternity Services Award
Winner: East Kent Hospitals NHS TrustThe Ashford midwifery project: Presented by lead midwife for teenage pregnancy, Jinny Robinson (pictured), the Ashford Midwifery Project provides a total package of antenatal care, parent education programmes, breastfeeding support, postnatal checks and contraceptive services in a disadvantaged area. Focusing largely on young – often teenage – mothers, the service is centred in the local children’s centre, removing it from an enviro -
Men’s experiences of partners’ postnatal mental illness
Investigating men’s subjective experiences when their partners are admitted to hospital.Keywords: Mental health, Postnatal Depression, Management -
Mental Health Award
Winner: Central and North West London NHS Foundation TrustThe Brent relapse prevention project: Relapse prevention is a relatively new intervention for people with serious and enduring mental illness. Presented by Rami Jumnoodoo (pictured) from Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, the project aims to restore hope and improve clients’ quality of life to help maintain the recovery of those who have complex needs, to empower them in service development, and -
Most trusts failing on VTE guidance
Many hospitalised patients may be at increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) because trusts are not adhering to guidelines on the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE), an audit suggests -
New online forum for continence
NT has launched an online forum for nurses concerned about the future of specialist continence appliances -
News in brief
News in brief -
News In Brief
News In Brief -
News In Brief
News In Brief -
NMC appoints midwife member
A midwife from Inverness has been elected the NMC’s new alternate council member for midwives in Scotland. -
NMC scraps pre-entry test plan
A national numeracy and literacy test will not be introduced for students entering pre-registration nurse training, the NMC has decided -
Nurse struck off in MRSA case
FOR THE first time failure to take appropriate infection control precautions when dealing with a patient infected with MRSA has contributed to a nurse being removed from the NMC register -
Nurse to fight on over reference dispute despite new nursing job
A newly qualified nurse who had a job offer rescinded because of a bad reference has finally managed to find a nursing job -
Nurse wins award for outstanding military work
Cardiff nurse Jo Potter has won an award for her outstanding contribution to military nursing while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan last year. -
Opportunity lost for standard selection
News that the NMC has decided against introducing numeracy and literacy tests for students entering nurse training (p2) has, unsurprisingly, met with a mixed reaction as an opportunity may have been lost to ensure consistency in how students are selected. -
Pain still judged on vital signs
Some HCAs still rely mainly on vital signs and behaviour to assess pain levels, a study at Lancashire’s Royal Bolton Hospital suggests -
Promoting Social Inclusion Award
Winner: Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS TrustFrom day centres to a peripatetic team with a vision – promoting community inclusion for people with learning disabilities: Facing the closure of two day centres, the winning team, presented by Carol Trill (pictured) from Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, set up a peripatetic service for people with learning disabilities. Working with the residential care homes involved, the team provides individualised activities for e -
Pseudomonas infections rise
There has been an increase in hospital patients infected with Pseudomonas bacteria, according to voluntary reports made to the Health Protection Agency -
Red flag drills boost resus skills
Mock trauma drills can easily boost failing child resuscitation skills in A&E, suggests US research -
Rising To The Leadership Challenege
A NEW health centre awaits its grand opening but councillors are demanding a plan to tackle MRSA rates. Patients need to be isolated in A&E because of a vomiting bug, a broken bedpan washer is spewing out sewage onto a hospital ward and there is an outbreak of Legionella at a local clinic, writes Louise Tweddell. -
Sense of smell
Author Marion Richardson, BD, DipN, Cert Ed, RNT, RN, is principal lecturer, University of Hertfordshire.This article continues our series on the senses and looks at the sense of smell.Our sense of smell, or olfactory sense, allows us to detect small differences in odours. Smell may be an aid to survival as many noxious volatile materials have their own characteristic smell (Allan, 2005). It certainly appears to be involved in sexual attraction as we, like many -
Sexual Health Award
Winner: Salford PCTAn innovative, integrated sexual health service: In a closely fought category, the winning entry is a project which incorporated a ‘failing’ GUM service into a PCT-based, fully integrated sexual health service, including sexual health screening and services for contraception, erectile dysfunction and psychosexual issues -
Shift in views on dying ‘ignored’
A nurse academic has criticised the RCN for ‘burying its head in the sand’ over the issue of assisted dying -
Starting Out: Qualifying is exciting but terrifying at the same time
I never imagined qualifying to be such an utter non-event. A letter dropped through my door, containing my Pin and two pages of direct debit details -
Strike nurses face report to NMC
A group of nurses on strike over the dismissal of a colleague have been told they will be reported to the NMC if they refuse to return to work immediately. -
Study finds malnutrition risk in young patients
Nurses must ensure that young patients as well as older people are screened for malnutrition risk, experts have warned, following important UK research findings. -
Supplements: Introduction
Nursing’s biggest annual party, the NT Awards, yet again lives up to its billing this year as the winners and finalists in 12 categories celebrate their success -
Supporting failing students in practice 2: Management
ABSTRACT Duffy, K., Hardicre, J. (2007) Supporting failing students in practice 2: management. Nursing Times; 103: 48, 28–29.This two-part unit examines the issue of students who fail in clinical practice. Part 1 explored reasons for failure, assessment and emotional challenges mentors may face when supporting underperforming students. This part, part 2, discusses the management of failing students. -
Team Of The Year Award
Winner: The Young Oncology Unit, Christie Hospital NHS Foundation TrustThe support needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer, both in hospital and post-treatment, were not being met within the adult environment in Manchester -
Trusts face race act spot checks
The Healthcare Commission is to spot-check 40 NHS trusts after an audit of 394 revealed only 9% were complying with the Race Relations Act. -
Trusts must act on staffing to avoid another tragedy
What does it take to make trusts understand that you cannot provide safe, high-quality care without enough nurses? -
Views from the forum on resuscitation decisions
Views from the forum on resuscitation decisions. -
What The Doctor Ordered: Customer care has special meaning in the NHS
It is not that long since patients were expected to be unconditionally grateful for the care they received, not to ask questions and to be suitably respectful of their care-givers. At that time, nurses offered regimented care and a suitably maternal if condescending approach to care delivery. Doctors – especially surgeons – not only behaved like god but were indeed revered as his representatives on earth -
What’s happened to pain management?
Pain management has been slipping off the nursing agenda and is no longer taught to all nurses. Jennifer Taylor finds out what is being done to give it greater standing -
Women notice ‘fall in support’
Women and older patients feel the need for social support most keenly in the period soon after a major health event, according to Swedish researchers -
Working conditions to take priority in pay talks
Improving NHS working conditions is set to top the agenda in the latest round of talks between nurse unions, employers and the government, NT has learnt. -
Your Views: On the whole, do nurses turn up well prepared for job interviews?
On the whole, do nurses come well prepared for job interviews?
