Daloni Carlisle
Staff fitness plan on track for boosting health and raising team spirit
A project that uses an online platform and 'virtual coaches' to track and encourage physical activity is helping nurses in Stockport to take more exercise.
Attractions of the island life
There are 600 nurses on the Channel Island of Guernsey, but that's not enough so opportunities abound
Paper-free, quick and safer
The government is preparing to spend billions to create a ‘paperless’ NHS.
One log-in to a wealth of health resources
NHS Education for Scotland has been shortlisted for a UK technology award for its programme of digital transformation and development of digital resources. It includes a new platform which is enabling nurses and midwives to take control of their professional development using their smartphones and tablets.
Expanding skills and experience
Band 5 and 6 nurses at one of the UK's largest employers are benefiting from a novel approach to career development, which is helping boost retention rates
Testing times for BRCA gene carriers
New commissioning guidance sets out who should be offered gene testing for raised risk of breast and ovarian cancers. The ‘Angelia Jolie effect’ means that more women are asking about screening, and non-specialist nurses need to be aware of the issues relating to gene testing.
Intelligent solution or poor substitute?
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt wants to see 1,000 new physician associates in primary care by 2020 to address the GP recruitment crisis. But critics are sceptical of the role’s implications for existing professions, including nursing.
Touchscreen helps to ease cancer worries
An electronic holistic needs assessment developed by Macmillan Cancer Support is helping to reveal cancer patients’ concerns to clinicians. Patients use a touchscreen tablet to fill in the holistic assessment, which then forms the basis of a personalised care plan.
The long road to recovery
Nearly 80,000 people in the UK today were diagnosed with cancer when they were under the age of 45. Younger people with cancer face particular pressures, as the disease coincides with the peak years for raising a family and forging a career. Macmillan Cancer Support has developed a package of interventions to improve outcomes for people in this group.
Nurses need a voice in community care
The Five Year Forward View for the NHS in England proposes new models of care intended to integrate and align community services with hospitals and GP practices. Some nurses are concerned that one of these models will lead to a GP takeover of community services. Nursing leaders say they must be equal partners in planning the new models.
How to pin down ‘butterfly’ care
An evaluation tool funded by the Department of Health has been developed to help hospitals check how well they are implementing the Butterfly Scheme, a system that enables staff to identify people with dementia and address their needs. The tool gives feedback on things staff are doing well and what steps to take next, encouraging continuous improvement.
Advancing incontinence care
Incontinence is a huge and sometimes a hidden problem affecting at least two million people in Britain. While some health authorities see it as sufficiently costly and distressing for them to fund specialist nurses with a remit for continence promotion, in others nurses have fought single-handed the battle against poor provision for patients and poor education for staff.