Providing effective dying symptom control at home

Dying at home is idealised in policy and clinical discourse as a way people can be in a comforting space for their last days of life, surrounded by loved ones, free from pain and distress. However, a...

Organisational culture is important

‘Most worrying is the huge backlog of fitness to practise cases, which stands at nearly 6000, comprising minor and serious concerns as far back as five years. Worse is the claim that the screening...

Review of recently published articles

Lifestyle has been a somewhat underrated factor in the contribution, prevention and even treatment of non-communicable diseases. Modifiable lifestyle factors such as nutritional intake, physical...

Navigating death talk in a changing society

It is good to talk. This expression has adorned countless appeals, advertisements, posters, podcasts and inspirational GIFs, all aiming to sell an idea, product, or service, build connections, boost...

The Equality Act 2010 and the community nurse

The habitus and field of district nursing: a discussion around its professional status and symbolic capital

District nursing as a field (Figure 1.1) is bound by its relationship to other professional fields as well as the four main nursing fields or branches of nurse education: adult nursing (Figure 1.2a),...

Promoting self-management in lymphoedema: the role of the community nurse

While not all nurses are lymphoedema specialists, they can still play a part in helping patients understand the complexities associated with lymphoedema by accessing up-to-date training and resources,...

Patient-centred stoma care support: urostomy patients

A urostomy is a surgically created opening in the abdomen that redirects urine from the body. It can be temporary or permanent. The opening is made when the bladder has to be removed or bypassed, and...

Recognition and assessment of pain in people with advanced dementia

The definition of pain has evolved over time; it is generally described as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling the experience associated with, actual or...

Getting our team culture right

Effective workplace cultures make an organisation a good place to work. The National Guardian Office annual report stated that 38.5% of the total cases raised with Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) guardians...

The digital divide and exclusion

‘The use of online booking of appointments, renewal of prescriptions and tele/virtual consultations are becoming the norm in many general practices. While this rush to the realise a digital health...

Be prepared for future pandemics

It is not unreasonable to expect that given the unavoidability and inevitability (of death, at least), the UK, as a well-developed, relatively rich and stable Western economy, with a historically...