So, it's election time. All parties have made a big bru-haha about the NHS; millions, nay, billions of pounds will be invested ("if we get back in", or if "you elect us"...) I ask, if they can suddenly find all this money, why haven't they been dripping it into the system already?
So I'm not going to talk about this particular bun fight. Open to find what's on my mind...
There cannot be many of you who haven't heard about Dr Kate Granger and her Twitter campaign #hellomynameis. I recently had the pleasure of listening to Kate speak. It was depressing to hear of her experiences. After all, if nurses can't even be bothered to communicate with their patients, what hope is there is instilling confidence?
In this blog, Kate outlines why she started the campaign and what has grown from it.
In September 2014, the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation (LLCF) was awarded a grant by the Department of Health to produce and disseminate a Compendium of Best Practice from within the large network of Leg Clubs currently operating in England. The idea behind the project was to understand, co-ordinate and summarise the best practices undertaken by the volunteers, nurses and members who attend the Leg Clubs every week, and to share that information among Leg Clubs, and the healthcare community at large. This article reports on the outcome.
Exudate management is a challenge in chronic wound healing. Too much will delay healing, as will too little. But how much is too much? Do we fully understand what it does? In this article, Sylvie Hampton provides some answers.
You may remember that we featured Helen Mountford's winning Molnlycke Scholarship entry, in issue 2. Then, in issue 3, we carried an article about Acorns Hospice, Helen's place of work. In this issue, Helen outlines how she and the team have developed a wound care prevention and management programme for children.
In part two of this overview of diabetes, Frank gives a svery simple summary of treatments and shares his experiences of diabetes.
An in-house stop smoking service at King’s Health Partners, targeting NHS staff, has achieved an impressive 60 per cent quit rate at four weeks. Jo Carlowe finds out how they did it.
(Original article published in The Advisor Spring 2015.)
Well, it’s finally here. The Code (2015) became effective from 31st March. Many believe it was sorely needed. Others believe it is just more ‘gumpf’. Yet this version will have more impact upon registrants as revalidation depends on adhering to and demonstrating where you have applied its principles. In this opinion piece, Brian Booth and Deborah Glover share their thoughts about the new Code.
Ian Peate is a Professor. The route to becoming a Professor of anything is not easy; many degree-course Registered nurses do not attain such heights. But Ian began his career as a State Enrolled Nurse - you know, the course that apparently existed for the 'less academic', less motivated' people...
Read his story...
Millions of pounds are spent every year by women (and men!) who want to change some aspect of their appearance. Or they want to look like someone completely different (was M Jackson trying to become Diana Ross - the jury is still out..). Yet many who have facial disfigurements due to genetics, illness or injury are living full and active lives without feeling the need to have aesthetic surgery.
Her, Sue Smith ponders why...
In March, NHS Change Day events took place across the country. In this article, Joan Pons Laplana describes how it can work for you.
Whistle-blowing is the act of reporting a concern about a risk, wrongdoing or illegality at work, in the public interest.
Raising concerns about such poor practice should be the norm, accepted as an important part of people’s day-to-day work, as they reflect on their professional practice and work to improve their service.
With all the negative press about the NHS, you'd be forgiven for thinking that you work in an untenable system that has lost its ability to innovate or care. But actually, you'd be wrong in your assumption. Innovation and teamwork are alive and well! The Academy of Fabulous Stuff, the brainchild of Roy Lilley, Dr Terri Porrett and Jon Wilkes is a repository for, errm..., fabulous NHS stuff!
Post 2008 financial crash, political rhetoric has centred on public sector bodies providing more for less and the NHS has not escaped this mantra. As a consequence, procurement departments have been thrust into the limelight as NHS Trusts search for ways to reduce their non-pay expenditure. Historically procurement has been seen as a transactional back office function; however more recently procurement departments are being relied upon to conjure up new approaches to reduce expenditure. In this article, Daniel Legg outlines his role.
Changing Faces’ ‘Look at Me’ report finds that effective treatment for the psychosocial effects of skin conditions is the exception rather than the rule...
...Changing Faces calls for psychosocial care to be placed on equal footing with physical care with better resourcing of integrated community dermatological services.
All the latest news from the RCN Northern Ireland
The RCN have been busy. Read about what they've been up to here.
Very interesting legislation regarding time to appeal against a Conduct and Competence Committee (CCC) decision.
This month's selection of Tweets and other items which caught our attention.
If you have any comments, opinions or would like to submit an article, please email, Tweet us or leave a comment on our Facebook page. We would love to hear from you.
