Patient safety: a multifaceted issue

A key issue with policy development and culture change is always going to be the pace of change. I have said many times in my columns that this has been too slow and that systemic problems perpetuate....

The role of the nearest relative in mental health law

Under the Mental Health Act 1983, people detained for assessment and/or treatment are allocated a nearest relative. This includes people subject to unrestricted hospital orders, hospital directions...

Considering care in context

‘We are effectively running at 100 per cent occupancy in terms of available staffed beds.’ .

Incivility and its impact

COVID-19 complications in children

Equal efficacy of gastric and jejunal tube feeding in liver cirrhosis and/or alcoholic hepatitis: a randomised controlled study

All patients provided informed written consent to take part. Overall, the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The experimental protocol was approved by the Central...

Using dried blood spot testing for diagnosing viral hepatitis

A DBS sample is obtained by a finger-tip skin puncture using a lancet, then collecting capillary blood onto a filter paper test (see Figure 1). This technique was developed by Ivar Christian Bang in...

Supporting survivors of sexual violence and abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sexual violence is a term that covers various serious violent crimes—it means that someone forces or manipulates another person into unwanted sexual activity without their consent. It is important to...

Communicating with children and young people

Clearly, when a nurse is communicating with a child or young person, they need to consider the client's age and level of development (Dos Santos et al, 2016), to acknowledge levels of understanding or...

Administration of the flu vaccination: required skills and knowledge

Those eligible will be offered a vaccine most effective for them, depending on age and inclusion criteria recognising their potential vulnerability, such as patients with a long-term condition. Adults...

Considering the switch to a latex-free glove policy to safeguard staff and patients

NRL is extensively used in the manufacture of medical gloves, but is also used in catheters, elasticised bandages and wound dressings (Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2020). NRL is a milky fluid...

Setting up a successful nurse-led intravitreal injections service: pearls from Swindon

The number of intravitreal injections required in the UK is set to increase by about 30% over the next 10 years, corresponding to an increase in the number of patients being diagnosed with wet AMD due...