Comment Resources

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has challenged everyone’s day-to-day lives. The social distancing measures imposed by the government back in March required people in certain risk categories, such as the over 70s, to self-isolate for weeks. This inevitably has had a huge effect on many, as social relationships are vital for their wellbeing and quality of life. Here, Dr Anna Galazka, postdoctoral research consultant, Welsh Wound Innovation Centre in collaboration with Cardiff Business School, Carole Brooke, chair of Nailsea District Leg Club, retired practice manager and Demelza Spencer-Veale, lead nurse, Weymouth Leg Clubs, Two Harbours Healthcare, look at how some Leg Clubs have helped to maintain a community spirit and enable their members to continue to interact.

Here, Nihara Krause, consultant clinical psychologist and founder and chief executive officer of stem4, gives an overview of the resources available for children and young people with mental health needs, and recommends changes that are drastically needed to meet demand and improve services. She also explores work currently being done by stem4 to help identify and support children and young people, and discusses early digital interventions which can help with treatment.

Here, Teresa Burdett, senior lecturer in integrated health care; professional lead for interprofessional learning and education, unit lead for foundations of integrated care and person-centred services, and Lee-Ann Fenge, professor in social care, both from Bournemouth University, explore the rhetoric and reality of the NHS Long Term Plan (NHS England, 2019a) and examine some of the challenges highlighted by the NHS Interim People Plan (NHS England, 2019b), which sets out a game plan for delivery to NHS employees.

Here, Ellie Lindsay OBE, independent specialist practitioner, associate lecturer, CRICP, London and visiting fellow, Queensland University of Technology, and Laura Talbot, clinical audit consultant for the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation, discuss why effective communication is important in clinical practice to help improve the quality of life for individuals living with a PICC line in situ. This feature also recounts Ellie Lindsay’s own personal experience of watching her husband undergo a period of intense cancer treatment, and the difference made by the communication skills and teamwork of healthcare professionals involved once in the correct haematology unit.

Here, a focus group of tissue viability specialists (Box 1) look at the GIRFT programme and how by working together, clinicians and industry can help to prevent variations in wound care.

Here, Professor Ann Hemingway, Public Health and Wellbeing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bournemouth University and Joanne Bosanquet, Deputy Chief Nurse, Public Health England and Visiting Professor, University of Surrey, explain how nurses must be prepared for their roles as advocates and seek to have influence over local policies which impact on health and the design of healthcare services.

The number of people with venous and/or lymphatic disorders who require long-term management of their condition with compression garments in a community setting is growing. Here, Professor Jackie Stephen-Haynes, professor and consultant nurse in Tissue Viability, Birmingham City University and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, outlines the problems that some patients and clinicians encounter as a result of delayed and/or inaccurate dispensing of garments, and asks if this is a problem that affects you in your practice. 

Financial fraud, or scamming, is a growing problem (Financial Fraud Action UK, 2014), specifically for those who may be more at risk due to vulnerabilities, such as loneliness and mental capacity. The internet is increasing opportunities for scammers to reach a broader pool of potential victims. It is an area of growing concern for professionals involved in supporting and safeguarding vulnerable people. An estimated £5–10 billion is lost to scams annually (National Trading Standards Scams Team, 2015), and this has serious implications for victims, their families, and the wider UK economy through lost commerce and consumer confidence. A cycle of crime is created by criminal networks using proceeds from scams to fund further exploitation.

Over 51,000 carers in England are men over the age of 85 — a number which has more than doubled in the last decade (Carers UK and Age UK, 2015). The older male carer story project collaborated with a group of 11 older male carers (all over the age of 85 and living in Dorset) to learn from their experiences.