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Photo of nurse associate students in training, illustrating story about their introduction in Wales

NMC agrees to regulate nursing associate role in Wales

First nursing associates expected to begin training in autumn 2025

Picture of filing cabinet tabs with FRAUD in red letters and INVESTIGATIONS and LAW in black letters

Two nurses removed from NMC register for test fraud

Regulator found evidence of fraudulent computer-based tests at a centre in Nigeria

Nursing and Midwifery nameplate outside its HQ

Nurse suspended after trying to get selfie with footballer

NMC gives nurse four-month suspension for breaching code and patient privacy

Striking nurses at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry

Nurses reject pay offer as it falls short of giving them parity

Nurses in Northern Ireland refuse deal that fails to bring them in line with England

A smiling advanced nurse practitioner in NHS Fife's new purple uniform

Purple uniforms introduced for advanced nurse practitioners

Scottish trust’s uniforms ensure better recognition of ANPs in emergency settings

The Princess of Wales on an engagement last November

Reminder for nurses after claim of prying into Kate’s medical notes during hospital stay

Health minister cautions nurses after newspaper reports attempt to access princess’s records

Analysis

Image of four students turning their backs on a beckoning figure standing at a doorway labelled ‘Nursing Careers’

Why are students turning away from nursing courses?

Promises of a rewarding career fail to halt a decline in applicants for nursing courses

A young woman with Down’s syndrome makes the shape of a heart

How to promote cardiovascular health in people with learning disabilities

Nurses can manage risks with regular check-ups, lifestyle support and monitoring medicine

Montage shows nurses Jimmy Cooper, Celia Manson and Barbara Craven, who have all chosen not to retire fully

Carry on nursing: older nurses explain why they have no time for retirement

Hear from four nurses who love practice too much to give it up

A nurse-educator shows a small group of young people with learning disabilities a website on his tablet computer about intimacy and relationships

Sex and relationships: how can nurses educate and support young service users?

New guidelines on relationships and sexuality offer practical advice

A young man with Down’s syndrome sitting on a bed

How to create safe discharge pathways for learning disability inpatients

Hospital teams can provide support to patients in their return to the community

A manager chats with a nurse in a hospital ward, while behind them a patient in a hospital bed is attended by other nurses

Valuing nurses: do you feel recognised at work?

Steps nursing managers and leaders can take to ensure their staff feel seen and heard

Clinical update

Wound care: what the framework for standardised treatment means for your patients

Guidance focuses on individualised care for pressure ulcers, lower limbs and surgical wounds

Long-COVID: what it means and how to manage the longer-term effects

Advice from NICE on how to care for patients with ongoing symptoms of the virus

Managing aerosol generating procedures in school for children with complex medical needs

Updated guidance covers children with a tracheostomy or respiratory difficulties

Menopause symptoms and period pain: identify women’s health conditions with confidence

Updated RCN resource also includes information on pregnancy, continence and sexual health

Diabetes care: how a coin-sized device can monitor blood glucose levels continuously

Up to 3,000 people with learning disabilities set to benefit from ‘life-changing’ device

Prescribing

Preparing to Prescribe toolkit: becoming a non-medical prescriber

Updated online resource is a step-by-step guide for nurses considering a prescribing course

Policy briefing

COVID-19: how to make PPE less daunting for people with learning disabilities

Public Health England has issued guidance for staff in care homes

Picture shows two medics in discussion. Lack of personal protective equipment allows nurses to take a decision to protect themselves, RCN guidance says.

COVID-19: when you can refuse to treat a patient due to inadequate PPE

The implications for nurses of RCN guidance on care provision and inadequate PPE

Picture shows mental health professional sitting at a table with a woman with Down’s syndrome woman. A national framework in Ireland aims to provide person-centred services for people with learning disabilities and their families and carers.

Putting person-centred care at the heart of learning disability services

Ireland targets services for those with learning disabilities and their families and carers

Nurses meeting to discuss and reflect following a difficult situation

Helping nurses to ‘defuse’ after difficult situations

The RCN has issued guidance on how to discuss and reflect on challenging incidents at work

Glove awareness week

Correct use of gloves and how to protect your skin

RCN Glove Awareness week stresses correct use of gloves and how nurses can protect their skin

Identifying the needs of older people with learning disabilities

People with learning disabilities are living longer but will have specific health needs

Research news

Picture shows a child scratching himself. Relying too much on observed stereotypical and repetitive behaviour may result in incorrect diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in people with a learning disability and sensory impairments, a study suggests.

Beware diagnosis of ASD based on stereotype behaviour

People with learning disability and sensory impairments can be wrongly diagnosed as autistic

Picture shows a young male who is autistic. Research shows nearly half of autistic children have anxieties specifically associated with autism and commonly related to sensory experiences.

Exploring anxiety in young people with autism spectrum disorder

Autistic children anxious over sensory experiences, phobias, unpredictability and change

Picture shows an older woman talking to a therapist. A new study shows the wider lifestyle benefits associated with PBS-based approaches and the need to capitalise on these gains.

Lifestyle gains linked to positive behaviour support

Study shows lifestyle benefits of PBS-based approaches and need to capitalise on these gains

Picture shows a woman and a boy sitting on a hospital bed, reading a book together. Nurses interviewed about caring for children with learning disabilities in acute settings stressed the need to be adaptable and flexible

Nurses need more exposure to children with learning disabilities

In interviews, nurses on acute paediatric ward stress need to be adaptable and flexible

Parent peer support is important for families with children who have LDs

Parent peer support provides practical, social and emotional help

Picture shows a young male holding a smartphone. This article reports on a study showing social media presents opportunities for people with learning disabilities, but those supporting them must be alert to risks including cyberbullying and exploitation.

Social media risks for people who have learning disabilities

Use of social media presents opportunities, but also risks of cyberbullying and exploitation

Journal scan

Isolation and loneliness

Scottish survey reveals the scale of social isolation and loneliness

More than 70% of young adults with learning disabilities reported feeling lonely ‘a lot of the time’, according to a campaigning organisation

Inequalities

Long-term conditions management

Systematic review finds that people with learning disabilities were less likely to access health screening and preventive healthcare such as immunisations

Criminal

Secure settings: what makes for a good outcome when people move on from inpatient...

Study finds need to establish specialist forensic support teams to ensure best possible outcomes for offenders who have behaviours that challenge

Blood plasma test could lead to earlier diagnosis of autism

A pioneering test has revealed a link between autism and damage to proteins in blood plasma that could lead to earlier diagnosis of the condition, scientists say

Two people talking in a training session

Study raises questions about clinical outcomes associated with positive behaviour...

Of services where staff underwent training only 30% produced positive behaviour support plans that included all essential components

Close up of someone preparing to take a pill with a glass of water

Psychotropic medication often given in the absence of multidisciplinary assessments

Research raises concerns about a lack of guidelines and review of prescriptions

Podcast

Free
Photo of Dr Dame Claire Bertschinger working in Africa in the 1980s, and the Band Aid single Do They Know It's Christmas?

Band Aid remembered: how one nurse inspired a phenomenon

Dr Dame Claire Bertschinger's work in Ethiopia in 1984 helped kickstart the charity song

Free
Nurses holding placards and dressed for the cold weather, picket Northern General Hospital in Sheffield

NHS strikes one year on: how nursing staff took a historic stand with public’s support

Look back at what nurses told us on the picket lines, and why the campaign isn’t over

Free
Michael Rosen at the Nursing Live event

Author’s tale of pandemic journey – and what he owes to nurses

Michael Rosen reflects in our podcast on intensive care and his admiration for nurses

Free
Jayne Chidgey-Clark

Raising concerns: helping you to speak up without fear of repercussions

Our podcast guest tells us how she's striving to help nurses speak up with confidence

Free
Photo of exhausted nurse at work, illustrating podcast about burnout

Is work causing you to burn out? How to spot the warning signs

Our podcast explores causes of burnout, including long shifts, and what to do about it

Free
How to call out rudeness (politely) at work

How to call out rudeness (politely) at work

Taking appropriate action can protect yourself, your team’s and your patients’ well-being

Sponsored

Free
Sponsored: Launch of Mölnlycke’s clinical consensus statement: ‘Healthy skin, safe patients: the value of patient hygiene

Sponsored: Mölnlycke’s clinical consensus statement ‘Healthy skin, safe patients'

This article explores Mölnlycke’s clinical consensus statement and the fight against healthcare-associated infections

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Sponsored: When is a swelling not an allergy?

This sponsored article describes emergency care for people with hereditary angioedema

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Sponsored: How to improve leg ulcer practice and patient outcomes

This webinar, sponsored by HARTMANN, seeks to address variation in practice and outcomes for lower limb wounds

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Sponsored: High ‘face fit test’ pass rate on smaller face shapes with FFP3 respirator

UK-made respiratory protection for healthcare helps reduce environmental impact

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Luke Pybus

Sponsored: Wales offers a great quality of life for the newly qualified nurse

Newly qualified Mental Health Nurse Luke Pybus, from Somerset, is delighted he made the career move to work in Wales.

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Sian Thomas

Sponsored: Working in Wales can really take you places in your career

Sian Thomas, a Consultant Nurse for Child Health in South Wales, and Nurse of the Year 2016, talks about why everyone looking for a rewarding nursing career should put Wales at the top of their list.

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