IN BRIEF Updated guidance on cleanliness has been published for acute, community and mental health trusts. Clean Hospitals Keep Patients Safe was first published in 2011. RCN adviser for infection prevention and control Rose Gallagher said: ‘Maintaining standards of cleanliness is a key factor in reducing healthcare-associated infections. Significant progress has been made in recent years in improving hospital cleanliness and supporting infection prevention and control measures.’ Go to tinyurl.com/m6sue4u An e-learning programme on female genital mutilation (FGM) for health professionals, including school and practice nurses, has been launched by Health Education England. It is designed to help healthcare professionals recognise and support women and girls who have undergone FGM. An estimated 137,000 women in the UK are affected by FGM. The online package includes information on the effects of FGM on physical and emotional health, legal status and referral pathways. www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/female-genital-mutilation FallSafe, an e-learning course for hospital nurses developed by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), has been completed by more than 12,000 staff. The RCP has now produced CareFall, which is aimed at junior doctors. Julie Windsor, a nurse and NHS England patient safety lead for older people and falls, said the new e-learning tool complements the one for nurses. Tips on boosting HIV testing in primary care settings have been developed by HIV charity Medfash. The online package, funded by the Department of Health, gives advice to practice nurses and GPs on issues including how to improve their ability to diagnose HIV. Medfash chief executive Ruth Lowbury said: ‘HIV testing needs to be offered much more routinely than it is at the moment, and general practice has a key role to play.’ www.medfash.org.uk/hiv-tips The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued draft guidance on the management of violence and aggression. The guidance, which will replace the 2005 version, covers the short-term management of violence and physically threatening behaviour in mental health and community settings. Last year, there were more than 47,000 assaults in NHS mental health trusts and staff were ten times more likely to be assaulted than those working in general hospitals. The consultation ends on January 14. Go to tinyurl.com/mtua7jh and see analysis, page 14. District nurses, community matrons and social care staff from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust have undergone training with Humberside Fire and Rescue Service to help keep vulnerable people safe at home. Nurses from the trust have been learning about the dangers of air flow mattresses for patients who smoke, and the importance of detecting cigarette burns on furniture.
‘USE RELATIVES TO HELP FEED PATIENTS’ Relatives of older patients should be involved in helping to feed them when they are in hospital, according to the chair of the Hospital Caterers Association. Andy Jones said protected mealtimes were one of the best things to come out of the Better Hospital Food programme, introduced by the Department of Health to ensure the provision of high quality food for patients. But protected mealtimes has not been properly implemented, said Mr Jones. Speaking at the Food Matters Live conference in London, Mr Jones said hospitals often move family and friends off wards during mealtimes, when it would be better if they stayed to help their loved-one eat. Older patients in hospital can struggle to eat independently and being unwell, they might lack appetite and need extra support and encouragement, added Mr Jones. The charity Age UK estimates more than one million people over the age of 65 are malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. He added that using relatives in such a way would take pressure off nurses.
More children’s specialist epilepsy nurses needed A charity is calling for the number of epilepsy specialist nurses to be boosted urgently after a UK-wide audit revealed almost one third of children with the condition do not have a nurse. Young Epilepsy, which works on behalf of children and young people with epilepsy, said the support offered by nurses is invaluable, adding that a lack of specialist care could lead to educational and behavioural damage. The audit, led by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, found improvements in epilepsy care since the first audit was undertaken in 2012, with the number of services that have specialist nurses up from 53 per cent to 68 per cent. But the college is calling for an urgent increase in the number of specialist nurses, along with the RCN. RCN children and young people’s adviser Fiona Smith said: ‘Children’s epilepsy nurses are key to providing the best possible care for children with the condition.’
10 december 3 :: vol 29 no 14 :: 2014 NURSING STANDARD Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 30, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
‘USE RELATIVES TO HELP FEED PATIENTS’ Relatives of older patients should be involved in helping to feed them when they are in hospital, according to the chair of the Hospital Caterers Association. Andy Jones said protected mealtimes were one of the best things to come out of the Better Hospital Food programme, introduced by the Department of Health to ensure the provision of high quality food for patients. But protected mealtimes has not been properly implemented, said Mr Jones. Speaking at the Food Matters Live conference in London, Mr Jones said hospitals often move family and friends off wards during mealtimes, when it would be better if they stayed to help their loved-one eat. Older patients in hospital can struggle to eat independently and being unwell, they might lack appetite and need extra support and encouragement, added Mr Jones. The charity Age UK estimates more than one million people over the age of 65 are malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. He added that using relatives in such a way would take pressure off nurses.
More children’s specialist epilepsy nurses needed A charity is calling for the number of epilepsy specialist nurses to be boosted urgently after a UK-wide audit revealed almost one third of children with the condition do not have a nurse. Young Epilepsy, which works on behalf of children and young people with epilepsy, said the support offered by nurses is invaluable, adding that a lack of specialist care could lead to educational and behavioural damage. The audit, led by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, found improvements in epilepsy care since the first audit was undertaken in 2012, with the number of services that have specialist nurses up from 53 per cent to 68 per cent. But the college is calling for an urgent increase in the number of specialist nurses, along with the RCN. RCN children and young people’s adviser Fiona Smith said: ‘Children’s epilepsy nurses are key to providing the best possible care for children with the condition.’
10 december 3 :: vol 29 no 14 :: 2014 NURSING STANDARD Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 30, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
