Malodour is a common but frequently under-recognised symptom in chronic and complex wounds. It is particularly prevalent in wounds with high bacterial burden, necrotic tissue, or excessive exudate, such as malignant fungating wounds, chronic leg ulcers, and pressure injuries (Gethin et al,)
In an ever changing healthcare landscape, community nursing is shaped by social determinants of health, varying levels of service provision, and the realities of people's everyday lives (McBride et al, 2024). As a result, now more than ever before, community nurses frequently encounter situations where individuals face barriers to accessing care, understanding their options, or exercising their rights (McCullogh et al, 2025).
As a community nurse, antimicrobial stewardship is not an abstract principle, it is a daily balancing act between individual patient needs and wider public health. In wound care, we are often working in uncontrolled environments, relying heavily on individual clinical judgement to distinguish between colonisation and infection. This uncertainty can make prescribing decisions challenging, particularly when signs of infection are quite subtle or evolve quickly.
This year marks a significant milestone for Drinkaware: 20 years of working to reduce alcohol harm across the UK. At the same time, we are looking ahead with renewed focus, having launched our 2026–2030 strategy with an ambitious plan to accelerate progress through prevention, behaviour change and partnerships.
ERIC, The Children's Bowel and Bladder Charity, is delighted to share a preview of what healthcare professionals can expect at this year's conference, sponsored by Clinisupplies, which is happening on 12 October 2026, with the theme: 'Together for 35 years: leading change in paediatric bowel and bladder health'.
Catheters are a device that is inserted into the bladder through the urethra, which are made out of silicone or latex (Al-Qahtani et al, 2019). They have a range of functions, including draining urine from the bladder, measuring bladder capacity and residual volume, instilling medication, and managing various bladder conditions (Savage, 2014). Catheters can also be used in medical emergencies, e.g. acute urinary retention (Bhatt et al, 2019).
UK over the last decade following a series of papers from Guest et al (Guest et al, 2015; 2020). These papers have generated multiple events, discussions and debates, including one in the House of Lords (Hansard, 2017). In England, the National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) was launched in 2018 to address unwarranted.
This issue's 'Community Matters' piece explores a subject that is familiar to us all: antimicrobial stewardship in wound care. Wound management is an integral part of our role, requiring us to use knowledge and skills to make decisions that deliver the highest quality care for our patients. Assessing wounds for infection can be challenging, and when combined with the principles of antimicrobial stewardship the challenges increase. This article discusses the practical issues and guidance surrounding antimicrobial stewardship and gives a valuable update to support your practice.
Community nurses are often the professionals who see people in their own homes, in clinics, in schools, in residential settings or during routine immunisation conversations. That contact can be crucial for meningitis because it can begin with symptoms that look like a common viral illness, but bacterial meningitis and meningococcal disease can progress within hours. For nurses working in the community, the priority is to recognise serious illness, safety-net effectively and escalate urgently when meningitis or sepsis is possible.
Managing patients with long-term conditions is a priority for the NHS because of the significant costs associated with their care (Eaton et al, 2015). A central goal is to prevent avoidable hospital admissions (NHS England, 2019), a focus echoed in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan for England (UK Government, 2025).
