Resources

Welcome to our first issue of 2026! Of course, none of us knows what this year will hold, both professionally and personally, but we hope that all the work undertaken by everyone at the JCN will continue to support you throughout.

This issue’s ‘Community matters’ piece focuses on frailty and how it is affecting community care. Frailty is high on the government’s agenda and the statistics quoted within this article demonstrate why. Have a read to understand exactly what is meant by frailty, review the different ways in which it can be measured and consider potential solutions. Frailty is generally having a major impact on our caseloads, but if we are able recognise it early and suggest/ implement supportive measures, it may help us in the long term

According to the old saying, age is just a number, although exactly what that number is and how much time we have left is open to interpretation. Many of us might be satisfied to see three score and ten, while others hold onto their youth like the proverbial Peter Pan. Some among the so-called billionaire elite even imagine they can cheat old age through cryonics, freezing their bodies after death in the hope that technology might one day be advanced enough to revive them.

Whatever method we choose to keep age at bay, none of us are immune from the inexorable march of time and while UK government figures show that life expectancy is increasing (27% of the UK’s population is expected to be over 65 by 2072), longer lives come with their own issues (‘Preparing for an ageing society inquiry launched’ – committees.parliament.uk).

Do you treat people with wounds as part of your everyday caseload? Perhaps you need to deliver wound care education to your community nursing teams? If so, you will be all too aware of the challenges this can present. Microworld could be what you need to make both learning and delivering education about wounds easier and more enjoyable.

The presence of mould in the home environment can be a potentially serious health problem and one which needs early recognition, intervention and management.

District and community-based nurses are in a unique position to help recognise the link between mould allergy and its impact on health and support families affected by damp and mould exposure in their homes. Proactive intervention from community nurses not only improves patient health, but may also reduce the burden on the NHS in the long term.

Nurse-led projects are one of the most direct ways in which the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) helps nurses improve patient care. Since 1990, the QICN has funded around 350 innovative projects across the whole range of community nursing specialisms in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, through its Community Nursing Innovation Programme (CNIP). Nurses are given the time, support and confidence to develop ideas rooted in the realities of the communities they serve and often the projects become part of mainstream services.

Long-term conditions affect millions across the UK, yet the care people receive remains uneven (Future Health, 2023). Health outcomes continue to be shaped by housing, income, environment, identity, and access to services – factors that create stark inequalities in who receives timely, appropriate, and high quality care (GOV.UK, 2025). As the need for coordinated, evidencebased, person-centred approaches becomes increasingly urgent, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is launching a landmark event designed to accelerate progress: the RCN Long-Term Conditions Conference 2026, taking place on 17 June at Sheffield Hallam University.

Chronic venous disease (CVD) is a prevalent long-term condition associated with significant morbidity and healthcare input, particularly within community nursing services. It affects a substantial proportion of the adult population and is a leading cause of venous leg ulceration (Rabe et al, 2020). Venous leg ulcers represent up to 70% of chronic lower limb wounds and are commonly managed by community and tissue viability nurses (Guest et al, 2018). Healing is often prolonged, and recurrence rates remain high despite advances in compression systems and wound dressings.

Antimicrobial dressings (AMDs) play an important role in modern wound management. However, their use must be carefully considered to ensure effectiveness while minimising harm. Inappropriate or prolonged use may delay wound healing and contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Healthcare professionals therefore have a responsibility to use these dressings judiciously, guided by clinical assessment and evidence-based practice. The second part in our new JCN clinical skills series on wound dressings discusses key aspects to consider when using AMDs, while highlighting some of their properties.

Compression is widely recognised as a vital component for healing venous leg ulcers (VLUs), for preventing them in at-risk patients and for long-term management to reduce recurrence. With current pressures on nurses to try to find resource and time saving solutions in patient care, management of complex wounds can prove challenging – compression bandaging is time and resource intensive and suitably competent staͿ often too few. As an alternative option, adjustable compression wraps can be an innovative solution in wound management and can successfully replace bandaging for patients with or without lymphoedema who have a VLU. This case report describes how the multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach to care for a patient with lymphoedema and bilateral leg ulcers achieved eͿective wound healing as well as reduction in swelling by using adjustable compression wraps, i.e. easywrap® strong. Successful team working between the treatment room, tissue viability nurse and patient resulted in patient empowerment, self-care and long-term support from the lymphoedema clinic.

This article explores the integration of a muscle pump activation (MPA) device (the geko® device) into University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire community wound healing team’s (CWHT’s) wound care treatment model as an adjunctive intervention for complex and non-healing wounds. The CWHT specialist service temporarily assumes care for patients with wounds which are not healing, focusing on individualised plans to assess healing potential or support quality of life. In 2025, the team introduced the geko device for patients whose wounds were not progressing with standard care. The cases described here highlight its impact, i.e. demonstrating significant healing, reduced pain, and improved mobility and quality of life. This device, which enhances circulation via neuromuscular electrostimulation (NMES), proved eͿective when used alongside advanced wound care. These outcomes support the value of specialist services incorporating adjunctive therapies to optimise care, relieve pressure on community teams, and achieve meaningful outcomes for patients with complex wounds.