IN BRIEF Primary healthcare nurses should identify people at risk of ill-health from living in a cold home and assess their heating needs, says guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Staff responsible for hospital admission and discharge should also assess vulnerable people to find out if they are likely to return to a cold home. Go to tinyurl.com/of87ntc A major review into nurse education and training, which will make recommendations on the four-branch model of training, was published this week. The Shape of Caring review, chaired by Lord Willis, has been commissioned by Health Education England and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. For full coverage of the review log on to www.rcni.com on Thursday March 12. Three quarters of the British public have little or no knowledge of kidney disease, according to Kidney Research UK. However, a fifth of the 2,000 adults polled by the charity had diabetes, high blood pressure or vascular disease – three of the leading causes of kidney failure. The majority of these did not realise they were at risk of a condition that kills about 3,350 people on dialysis or waiting for a transplant every year. More than 2,000 teenagers at 14 schools have received a nasal flu vaccine in a pilot study in Lincolnshire. The school nursing team from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust is one of 13 testing the immunisation. The study is looking at how to implement the programme, which will see children from two to 17 offered the vaccine. The Florence Nightingale Foundation is inviting applications for two scholarships. The Research Scholarship is offering up to £5,000 for scholars to undertake a course in research methods, research modules or a thesis that must demonstrate impact on patient care. The same amount is available for the foundation’s Travel Scholarship. Apply at tinyurl.com/kk7lmqx An online learning module for nurses, doctors and pharmacists on reducing the side effects of steroids, which include high blood pressure, has been launched by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. MHRA director of vigilance and risk management of medicines division June Raine said: ‘Our new module takes you through the unwanted effects of these immensely valuable and widely used medicines.’ Go to tinyurl.com/pky3uof Absence from school, unexplained gifts, involvement in gangs and self-harming are among the warning signs that a child is being sexually exploited, says government guidance for school nurses. The Department of Health document highlights that certain groups of children are more vulnerable. Those with learning disabilities, asylum seekers and homosexual or bisexual young people are all at greater risk. Read the guidance at tinyurl.com/q7ckggl

NEW ROLE AT QNI FOR DISTRICT NURSE A top community nurse has been appointed by the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) to lead two national projects. Candice Pellett OBE will join the QNI for a year to work on two pieces of work funded by the Department of Health. The discharge planning project will seek ways of improving the vital transition from hospital to community healthcare services. In 2013, the QNI identified this as one of the most challenging areas of work faced by district nurses. The second project will aim to demonstrate the value that studying for the District Nursing Specialist Practitioner Qualification brings to clinical practice. Ms Pellett is leaving her job as a senior case manager for Lincolnshire Community Health Services to take up her new role. She said: ‘I have been a district nurse for 20 years and hope to bring some of the skills and experience from that career to my new role at the QNI. These two projects are of huge importance to the district nursing profession and support the drive to deliver high-quality patient care.’ The QNI aims to publish the results of both projects in 2016.

Simple measures improve inpatient sleep quality A sleep improvement project at an acute hospital trust in London, which included simple measures such as oiling trolley wheels, saw a 22 per cent reduction in the number of patients rating their sleep as only fair or poor. A year-long study at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust saw staff move noisy printers or bright computer screens and switch down alarms to safe audible levels. Staff on 18 trust sites, including medical and surgical wards and emergency and high-dependency units, were also asked to ensure doors were closed to minimise noise and light and to answer the call system immediately. Of 749 patients who completed an electronic survey, 38 per cent said their sleep was fair and 15 per cent said it was poor before the project. Afterwards, of 783 patients who responded, only 23 per cent gave a fair rating and just 8 per cent said poor. Read the full study on pages 35-42

10 march 11 :: vol 29RCNi.com no 28 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded from by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 08, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.

New role at QNI for district nurse.

New role at QNI for district nurse. - PDF Download Free
219KB Sizes 0 Downloads 6 Views