Lynne Pearce
Break down the barriers
North East London NHS Foundation Trust strives to attract black and minority ethnic staff and to ensure all staff have opportunities to fulfil their potential. The trust has introduced reforms to remove barriers that prevent BME staff securing senior positions. Staff say that while more could be done, the organisation highly values BME staff.
The safety net with too many holes in it
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were introduced in 2007 to protect the rights of people in hospitals and care homes whose freedoms are restricted. In December 2015 the Care Quality Commission highlighted a tenfold increase in DoLS applications. Nurses need more training in this fundamental area of practice.
Time to break the continence taboo
Millions of people in the UK experience continence problems that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Nurse experts welcome new care guidance from NHS England but say that healthcare staff need to do more to raise patient awareness of available treatment options.
Care for all sexual orientations
Caring for trans* clients presents a particular challenge from a career perspective
General practice nurses urged to join professional mainstream
There has never been a time of greater opportunity for nurses working in general practice, according to a report published last month by the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI)
Ease the path from acute to community
NICE offers guidelines on how to ensure patients have the social support they need to leave hospital in a timely way. Its new guidance acknowledges the patient’s ‘journey’ often begins with emergency admission, and emphasises the dedicated role of the discharge co-ordinator. Despite pressures, nurses can lead improvements.
Changing the realities of poverty in pregnancy
Pregnant women from disadvantaged, vulnerable or excluded groups are more likely to have poorer maternal and neonatal outcomes. In Bradford, a three-year pilot project is targeting pregnant women in some of the poorest areas to improve the health of mothers and babies.
So you want to meet Elvis?
Eden House care home in County Durham, part of Helen McArdle Care, was rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission after one of its new unannounced inspections. Residents have a nail bar and hair salon and are served restaurant-style meals at the home. Set amid landscaped gardens, it prides itself on meeting the expectations of its 53 residents.
Towards a better understanding
A new website from Alzheimer’s Research UK aims to help young children, juniors and teenagers to understand dementia and the changes it can cause to a loved one’s behaviour. The site also assists nurses to answer children’s questions about the condition.
Looking back with pride 1916-2016
The RCN celebrates its centenary this year. In the past century it has grown into a unique voice for nursing, as a trade union and a professional body for its 430,000 members. General secretary and chief executive Janet Davies is confident it will still be here in 2116, a powerful body for an irreplaceable profession.
A modern take on menopause
Old scare stories about hormone replacement therapy and lack of training among healthcare professionals mean that many women are missing out on treatments for debilitating symptoms of menopause. NICE’s new guidance says HRT can be effective and offers advice aimed at healthcare professionals and patients.
Progress in pain management
Pain management is not always given the priority it deserves. An RCN framework aims to equip nurses with the knowledge and skills to assess and support people in pain and to improve pain management practice.
Spotlight on winning causes
The RCNi Nurse Awards give nurses a platform to change practice - and patients' lives - for the better, as a former winner explains
Make the media work for you
Being in the media spotlight can feel like a daunting prospect, but stick to what you know and you generally cannot go wrong, says Nursing Standard editor Graham Scott.
Keep score and help to ensure fair play
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust equality lead Ricky Somal explains how a ‘workforce diversity scorecard’ is being used to tackle inequalities at the trust and provide a better understanding of the impact on black and minority ethnic staffof key employment issues.
The workforce with strength in diversity
In 2000, three community trusts merged to become East London NHS Foundation Trust, a large specialist mental health trust. Since then its remit and geographical area has expanded and it has come to reflect one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the country.
‘We’re beating the BME bias’
When Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust discovered BME candidates for senior nursing posts had a much lower chance of being appointed than white candidates, it introduced changes to raise awareness of the unconscious causes of bias.
How to tackle the taboos of FGM
Birmingham midwife Alison Byrne runs a clinic for women affected by FGM. It provides help with the physical and psychological legacy of FGM and raises awareness about it. All nurses and midwives should routinely ask women if they have been cut, says Ms Byrne.