Opinion

Comment

Patients can be misled when the word ‘nurse’ is part of the title of a non-registered role

‘Nurse’ title for unregistered roles is a dangerous deception and holds us in contempt

Healthcare support staff are invaluable, but inflated titles do them no favours either

Nurse retention: steep rise in newly registered nurses quitting profession means action is needed to boost morale and reduce burnout

Nurse burnout busters: my staff retention to-do list for managers and nursing employers

Here’s how to give newly registered nurses – and all nurses – the workplaces they deserve

Smiling nurse helps patient get up from bed, showing how ward nurse intervention is important in preventing inpatient falls

Staggered break times turns out to be a winning falls-prevention strategy for inpatients

How a hospital team has all-but eliminated falls in a simple but systematic way

Image shows a member of healthcare staff facing an open cupboard and holding a plastic bottle of medication

Paracetamol theft: does the punishment fit the crime?

Why I find it hard to swallow nurse’s six-month suspension for taking ward painkillers

Blurred image of healthcare professionals moving at high speed with a hospital trolley along a corridor, suggesting the time and workload pressures facing emergency department staff

DNACPR tragedy will prey on the consciences of nurses involved, but they are all of us

Patient’s death tells us what we already know, but will it change anything?

Road sign post seen against a blue and cloudy sky. The sign points in opposite directions: work to the left, retirement to the right. Changes in NHS pension rules mean some nurses are choosing to return to practice, even in retirement

Nurses in retirement: some of us return to practice, we all continue to use our skills

Why older nurses are an asset to their communities – and to the NHS

Expert advice

Mpox: nursing care and treatment, recognising signs and reducing risk

Mpox: should UK be worried and are nursing staff at increased risk?

How to spot signs, identify risk factors and understand the treatment options

urses face a dilemma when friends and family ask them about health issues

My family and friends keep asking me for health advice. What should I do?

How to maintain professionalism when faced with health questions outside work

Illustration of article about NHS mileage rates shows nurse filling her car at a petrol pump

NHS mileage rates and why no change should no longer be an option

With petrol price spikes hitting staff in certain communities extra-hard, what can be done?

A picture of a pig-shaped money box sitting on top of coin stacks of decreasing size, with a person’s hand hovering above about to place a £2 coin inside the money box

How you can take your pension and keep a salary

Find out whether a flexible retirement option, such as retire and rejoin, could be for you

Image of a figure depicting a nurse carrying a large structure designed like a DNA double helix

How genomics is changing patient care and what you need to know

Already used in many areas of nursing, it can offer patients more individualised treatment

A stoma bag is positioned on a patient’s abdomen by gloved hands

Stoma care: tips on how to support patients, dispel myths and banish stigma

Practical advice on nursing care and addressing individuals’ lifestyle concerns

Editorial

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‘Nurse’ job titles used for non-registered roles are misleading to the public and confusing for NHS colleagues

Misleading job titles: 3 reasons we must protect the word ‘nurse’

Inflated titles for unregistered roles undermines registrants and dupes the public

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Union consultations on the government’s 5.5% pay offer for NHS staff are asking members to vote on whether they accept or reject the award, as illustrated by a pound symbol with green tick mark and a red X mark

NHS pay offer: is 5.5% the first step to a fair deal for nurses?

Whether it’s a step forward or not nearly enough after years of pay stagnation, have your say

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Name plate of Nursing and Midwifery Council outside its London headquarters. The NMC has been found to have a toxic organisational culture by independent review

Why NMC must stop short-changing you and transform its own fitness to practise – fast

Change can’t come soon enough after review laid bare beleaguered regulator’s toxic culture

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Illustration shows hand holding ministerial red box – the next health and social care secretary needs to prioritise NHS pay deal

NHS pay award: why it must be top of the next health and care secretary’s agenda

Whichever party wins the election needs to make a fair 2024/25 deal their first priority

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Illustration of nurses’ general election voting decisions show ballot papers flying down into a ballot box marked ‘NHS’

Why this general election matters to every nurse in the UK

Whether you have an appetite for politics or not, your vote on July 4 counts

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A female nurse in uniform sits at a desk at work using a computer, with the new RCNi Learning platform on screen

Making your revalidation easier: our new-look RCNi Learning platform

Bitesize modules and enhanced tools to help you meet your CPD requirements

Your views

A nurse holds up her hands showing she wants something to stop. Nurses have a duty of care to patients but also need to consider their own safety

When should nursing staff refuse to treat a patient?

Our panel discusses duty and safety when it comes to racist or violent patients

Nurse choosing extra shifts

Extra shifts: would you be willing to do more to help clear the NHS backlog? 

NHS staff already work over their hours, often unpaid to help cut patient waiting times

Illustration showing an outstretched hand catching three floating squares bearing a heart design, suggesting a show of appreciation

Would a gratitude scheme help make you feel valued?

Giving ‘hearts’ colleagues can swap for gifts – our readers consider if it has an impact

Will revising job profiles change how nurses are valued?

Revisions to nursing bands may make little difference without appropriate pay rises

Illustration of weighing sometimes conflicting interests in nursing care of patient choice against harm prevention shows scales with one frowny face on one side outweighed by multiple, smaller smiley faces

Patient choice versus harm prevention: where do you strike the balance?

Shared decision-making means providing information that allows informed consent

Backlog

Fitness to practise cases: is the NMC doing enough to tackle the backlog?

We ask our readers if more money will resolve the growing FtP caseload

Reviews

Health Communication: Theoretical and critical perspectives

This frank and bold text sets out to dispel assumptions and fill a much-needed gap in health communication literature

Working Together in Clinical Supervision: A Guide for Supervisors and Supervisees

A useful, well-written book primarily aimed at less experienced supervisors and supervisees. It would be most suited to busy mental health professionals seeking an up-to-date and concise text to guide their clinical supervision

Book review: Snowball in a Blizzard: The Tricky Problem of Uncertainty in Medicine

Retired practice development nurse Valerie McGurk reviews Snowball in a Blizzard: The Tricky Problem of Uncertainty in Medicine

Pain: A Sociological Introduction

Individual stories that will resonate with those who experience pain are included in this book, which is a refreshing and easy read while tackling a wide topic in an informative way

Recovery in Mental Health Nursing

The blurb on the back cover says this book is for nurses and other professionals in mental health practice, but the contents are clearly directed towards nursing students

Positive Communication: Activities to reduce isolation and improve the wellbeing of...

Useful activities to help boost confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing in older people

Jobs