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Chief nursing officer for England Ruth May, who has announced her retirement

What next – and who next – for nursing?

As England’s CNO prepares to step down, what should her successor’s priorities be?

Illustration of steps showing different pay bands as nurse steps down onto band 5 step

Nurses forced into lower pay bands after requesting flexible hours

RCN chief brands practice ‘shameful’ and vows to get college’s lawyers to review issue

Striking nurses in Plymouth, Devon, in May 2023

NHS employers reject suggested separate pay spine for nurses

RCN’s proposed nursing pay scale would harm morale, employers tell government consultation

Older woman stands facing younger woman, possibly her daughter who has a supportive hand on her shoulder. Carer's leave is now a right, which will support the nurse workforce

Your employment rights: changes to carer’s leave, pregnancy rules and flexible working

Time off to support dependants becomes a legal right and redundancy protection is extended

Photo of nursing students in a lecture, illustrating story about declining student numbers

Nursing student numbers: degree places ‘getting harder to fill’

University says it cannot meet national targets and had to scrap mental health intake

A tribunal panel looks as documents, with witness facing them across a table. A nurse with Chron’s disease won a tribunal after NHS employer reneged on reasonable adjustments

Compensation for charge nurse told she had to stop solely working night shifts

Managers rowed back on reasonable adjustments that helped her manage a chronic condition

Analysis

Illustration showing two nurses in uniform sheltering under a double umbrella, as arrows rain down on them, suggesting the nurses are under attack

Advanced nursing practice: is it under attack and why?

The role is often misunderstood – as highlighted in the debate over physician associates

A nurse sitting at a table and making notes while using a calculator that is on top of a pile of documents, as if checking a payslip

Common payroll issues: how to keep track and resolve errors

Pay can fluctuate and it is important to report discrepancies – including overpayments

Some £1 coins spread on a document with the word pension printed under the heading payments

What every nurse in the NHS needs to know about the pension scheme overhaul

How you might be affected – plus a warning to anyone thinking of opting out

A nurse holding a clipboard makes notes while in the background a patient lies in a hospital bed

The (quiet) steps you can take to help inpatients get a good night’s sleep

Find out about measures that minimise disturbance at night – but don’t mean extra workload

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

Three nursing colleagues sit together in a debrief session, which can be effective in managing workplace trauma

Trauma at work: do you get the help you need to recover from distressing incidents?

With nurses at heightened risk of PTSD, team support and trauma management are essential

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

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

Human trafficking and modern slavery: how nurses can support victims

What to look for, how to help – and what not to do if you if you suspect a patient is at risk

Patient notes

Dementia and the prescription of antipsychotics in hospital

Key points for nurses from a dementia audit by the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Free
Nurse using a Clinical Frailty Scale

COVID-19: guidance on when to admit patients to critical care

NICE advises on assessing for frailty and including patients and carers in decision-making

Policy briefing

Obesity strategy: steps for tackling a public health crisis

The government’s plan to get the nation fit, protect against COVID-19 and ease strain on the NHS

Managing recovery from COVID-19

A service to aid long-term recovery will offer personalised, online-based aftercare

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

Image shows school teacher interacting with young people in a classroom lesson

Interventions to improve the mental health and well-being of children and young people

Public Health England focuses on promoting critical importance of mental health

Picture shows an older couple, the woman appearing confused and a nurse looking at her. Five principles on care for people with dementia are set out in a new RCN document.

Personalised care for people with dementia

Five principles on care for people with dementia are set out in a new RCN document

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

Journal scan

Parents’ mental health impaired when children are seriously ill

Parents whose children need intensive care treatment suffer clinically significant impairment of their mental health, researchers say

Alcohol use disorders a major risk for dementia, especially early-onset

Alcohol use disorders are a major risk factor for all types of dementia, especially early-onset dementia, study shows

Learning, memory problems seen in adolescents with OCD

Adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder have learning and memory problems that could affect their self-esteem, researchers say

Women prone to mood swings prompted by season, daylight

Women experience seasonal changes in their mood across the year, including more depression in winter, regardless of social and lifestyle factors, a study shows

Singing in groups shown to promote recovery, improve mental health

Singing in groups could help improve patients’ mental health, promoting a feeling of belonging and improved social skills and confidence, researchers say

Young show perfectionism more than past generations

Young people display greater perfectionist tendencies today than 30 years ago due to the increasing demands of society and competitive individualism, a study shows

Podcast

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Free

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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