Resources

Disordered gambling is a behavioural addiction that causes harms to individuals, their families and wider society. Gambling harms have been recognised as a public health concern, but little attention has been given in health care to enable community nurses to identify and support patients experiencing gambling-related harms. Uptake of gambling support has been low due to the perceived stigma experienced by the person. Community nurses can use the Making Every Contact Count (MECC) approach when interacting with patients by identifying the signs of harmful gambling, discussing this with their patients, and signposting them to appropriate support. This article explores how community nurses can do this.

Reflection provides nurses with a systematic way to understand experiences to improve professional development through learning to promote best practice (Horton-Deutsch and Sherwood, 2017). Purposeful reflection can lead to a deeper understanding of the situation and through new learning inform future practice and optimise care delivery (Asselin et al, 2012; Caldwell and Grobbel, 2013), and is used in nursing education and clinical practice worldwide (Galutira, 2018).

A lthough we are all both constantly and consistently busy all day every day, I am sure you will agree that at this time of year demand on services escalates even further and the challenges we face increase even more. How can this be possible we ask, but each year it is!

For the general public, community staff such as district nurses and health visitors are in danger of becoming a fond memory, much like those other pillars of society we didn’t know
we needed until they were gone — neighbourhood policeman say, or a functioning post office.

ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity, helps thousands of families struggling with continence issues, including through their free helpline. But, they could not do it without the generosity of volunteer nurses.

In order to instil confidence in your patients, you yourself need to feel confident in the care you’re providing — including the products you use.

This is why we’re publishing the results of a recent randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing the efficacy of Exufiber® with the market leading gelling fibre dressing, in exuding venous and mixed aetiology leg ulcers.

A new report on palliative and end-of-life care in the community has been published by the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) and Marie Curie.

The report by the two charities is based on a national survey of health and care staff undertaken in 2023. The majority of survey respondents were community nurses. The findings reflect how palliative and end-of-life care is delivered today, and shines a light on the challenges being faced by nurses. People at end of life need high-quality holistic care and support but worryingly, 9 out of ten respondents to the survey reported being unable to meet the needs of the people they care for, or those close to them, at least in part.

There is an old saying about ‘thinking outside the box’. The basic idea is that we are often
caught in conceptual thinking boxes which stop us seeing and discovering new ways of life and work.

Despite the phrase being widely used, the sad truth is that we often keep doing the same old things and are surprised when we get the same old results. The eminent Jungian
therapist James Hollis shared how a client said, ‘This isn’t working, but I do it very well’.

Normal wound healing follows four distinct phases: haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and finally, maturation. If any barriers to healing occur within these four phases, the healing process will be delayed or may even stall (Mitchell, 2021). One of the common barriers to healing is hyper or overgranulation, or ‘proud flesh’. Hypergranulated wounds can cause concern to both patients and healthcare professionals, and, although common in wound care, there is a limited evidence base and currently no guidelines for management. This article discusses the causes of hypergranulation, with suggestions on how it can be managed.

Necrotising fasciitis (NF) is a life-threatening condition, consisting of a soft-tissue infection with rapidly progressive, widespread fascial necrosis and sepsis. Prompt diagnosis and  treatment are essential, but in the early stages, it is difficult to differentiate from other skin conditions such as cellulitis. A high level of suspicion and a low threshold for surgical referral are essential to avoid significant mortality. Following often lengthy hospital treatment, patients will be discharged for management in the community — usually with extensive wound care needs. As part of recovery, supported self-care is an option for some patients and the benefits may help improve outcomes.