Though incidents suchasthis highlight the fragilityof life, they also show thestrength of thehuman spirit.With terribletragedy comesselfless acts of kindness,from both members of thepublic and trained clinicians.
Traditional values may appear to be in decline in some aspects of society, but all of us should seek to bring them into everyday working lives, not only for the benefit of ourselves, but also for those around us.
Sunday is a day we associate with friends and family. Cooking Sunday lunches, watching our favourite television shows and catching up with friends. But, for hundreds of thousands of older people across the UK, Sunday can be a day they dread. Contact the Elderly’s recent research reveals 76% of older people find Sunday to be the hardest day of the week.
Social care has become a hot topic in the news in the past year, with the worries and fears of the sector being widely reported. Many people may think it is an issue which does not affect them — but the reality is that most of us at some point in our lives will need care and support.
Experiences of emotional trauma can lead to poorer physical health. Trauma can originate from childhood experiences, domestic violence, being a refugee, or military service. Very often people who are homeless have experienced some kind of psychological trauma earlier in their life. Hence, it is extremely important that healthcare professionals have some knowledge of this process, if they are to offer holistic care to people.
The response of community staff to a person experiencing cardiac arrest can be critical to saving that individual’s life. UK ambulance services respond to approximately 60,000 cases of suspected cardiac arrest each year and resuscitation is performed during approximately 28,000 of these calls; unfortunately, less than one-in-ten people actually survive long enough to be discharged from hospital (British Resuscitation Council, 2015).
Current British Resuscitation Council (2015) guidelines recommended that basic life support consists of two elements: mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions. The aim of this article is to challenge the need for so-called ‘rescue breaths’ within cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
More than 100,000 children and young people across the UK are living with serious illness or exceptional health needs. The number who are fully dependent on technologies such as long-term ventilation continues to grow and their needs are becoming increasingly complex and time-intensive.
In spite of mounting evidence that they fare better at home, many spend months, even years, in hospital, simply because there isn’t adequate support for them to leave. Once home, it is important not to underestimate the impact on the whole family in supporting these children with high-level medical needs, many of who are at constant risk of serious, even life-threatening complications. Managing the profusion of medications and complicated medical procedures, normally the province of healthcare professionals, can place an enormous strain on families.
This month Hallam Medical, the nursing recruitment agency, celebrates its tenth anniversary, and over that time we have placed a lot of nurses in exciting new roles as well as developing our commitment to nurse education. During this period, there have also been a lot of changes in the wider NHS as well as in the world of community nursing. But, as we work in an ever-evolving environment, what changes can we expect in the future and, more importantly, are we actually ready for them?
Having co-founded Hallam Medical I have to say the past ten years have flown by, but despite it only being a decade, an awful lot has changed, in primary care in particular. Not only have the health needs of the general population altered significantly — witness the major growth in chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity for example — but the nursing profession as a whole has had to change, evolve and adapt to meet these new challenges.
I have always been passionate about wound care and, as a practising district nurse, I learnt by experience and training to measure wounds, take photographs and undertake Doppler assessments (a non-invasive method to identify arterial insufficiency in the leg). This helped me to establish the treatment that each wound needed.
What I did not know was the effectiveness of my prescribed care and how my healing rates compared with another nurse’s care. I also could not say with any accuracy how quickly a patient could expect their wound to heal. I wish I had known…
So, my questions to you would be: Do you know? And, why is it important?
The Colostomy Association is a national charity that provides support, reassurance and practical advice to anyone in the UK who has, or is about to have, a colostomy. We are here to help and support patients, their families and carers. Our helpline is manned 24 hours a day by volunteers who all have a stoma. Our wide range of leaflets, quarterly magazine Tidings and closed Facebook group offer information and support to anyone affected by life-changing stoma surgery.
