Nursing Resources

In January 2023 I began my career as a registered adult nurse. My first staff nurse position was on a 53-bed acute medical unit – a busy patient environment with fast-paced working. I had the opportunity to develop my nursing fundamentals further by consolidating my learning of the management of acute illnesses and long-term conditions. Throughout my time on the acute medical unit, I used and expanded my skillset, including building competence and confidence in completing A to E clinical assessment and how this would enable me as a clinician to detect a deteriorating patient, and then how I escalated that information and assessment to the appropriate clinician to support high quality patient care.

While rising energy costs, food inflation, and the ongoing effects of Covid-19 continue to affect daily life, recently it seems that government ministers are finally accepting that the NHS is in serious trouble and that there’s a need to address its difficulties.

Back in 2024, Wes Streeting, the new Labour government’s health secretary, expressed what most of us had been thinking for some time, stating that ‘this government will be honest about the challenges facing our country, and serious about tackling them. From today, the policy of this department is that the NHS is broken’ (‘The NHS is broken: health and social care secretary statement’ — www.gov.uk).

Sundowning, a change in the behaviour of a person with dementia that appears in the evening or during the night, is a well-recognised occurrence in dementia care. The behaviours observed can be agitation, aggression, anxiety or those associated with delirium. This article uses case studies to illustrate the ways in which sundowning may present, and explores possible rationales, approaches and interventions that might be useful in supporting the person, family carers and caregivers.

International Nurse’s Day, 12th May, is the day when the life of Florence Nightingale, considered by some to be the founder of modern-day nursing, is recognised and celebrated. It is also the day when the world unites in their support and respect of nurses, while acknowledging and celebrating the unique contribution that nurses make, not only in supporting the health of all nations, but in helping to maintain and improve global economic growth. After all, when populations are healthy, they are better able to contribute to society, undertake active work, and care for their families.

In an exceptionally challenging  labour market for healthcare workers, Leeds Community
Healthcare NHS Trust recruited over 100 local people for local jobs, reaching deep into communities to tap into a diverse talent pool and tackle unemployment. The trust innovated new ways to recruit, engaging with local people to overcome barriers in the
recruitment process.

Growing up, my understanding of what a nurse does was limited. In school I learnt about Florence Nightingale, the ‘Lady with the Lamp’, and at home I dressed up in a nurse’s uniform for a fancy dress party.

Modern day health and social care dementia practice, as with other conditions, is driven by its current evidence base. This is understood not only through a range of means, such as research, best practice, expert consensus about the most effective way to care for a person with dementia, but also through the lived experiences of people with the diagnosis and their families and supporters. Practice and care should also be guided by clinical ethics; often traditionally referred to as medical ethics.

The last 12 months have highlighted the vital contribution that nurses have made in treating and caring for patients across the globe during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, clinical research has been placed in the spotlight, as breakthroughs in treatments for, and protection against, Covid-19 have only been made possible due to pioneering and innovative clinical research trials. This dual focus on nurses and clinical research creates a real opportunity to highlight the research that nurses are undertaking within their own areas of clinical practice to raise the profile of research within the nursing profession.

I started my career as a student in 1996. After qualifying I took a staff nurse position in a large nursing home, before joining Caritas Services in 2007, where I continue to work to this day. I initially took a staff nurse position at one of the Caritas homes where we support adults with learning disabilities and dual diagnosis, later taking up a deputy home manager role.

Alex Munro is a registered nurse with a background in unscheduled care as a nurse practitioner. He is the co-founder and clinical director of Hallam Medical, the primary care recruitment specialist.

Is it me, or is simply being a nurse becoming more difficult than ever before? What with the pressures of the workplace, constant media coverage and ever-present politics, nurses could be forgiven for forgetting why they chose the profession in the first place.