Electronic records, confidentiality and data security: the nurse's responsibility

Registered nurses have a professional duty to maintain a patient's confidence and to maintain data security by collecting, treating and storing all data appropriately (Nursing and Midwifery Council...

Will extra training improve care of service users with learning disabilities or autism?

Throughout history, the way society has treated people with learning disabilities and autism has not always been equitable (Open University, 2019). Throughout most of the 19th century people did not...

Trends in NHS complaint handling: the toxic cocktail still exists

Clwyd and Hart (2013), in their independent review, discussed evidence given to them by the PHSO, which characterised well the central problems facing the NHS in the way it handles complaints. The...

A clinical view on health and safety

‘Connors' death whilst under our care was entirely preventable, and today we have pleaded guilty to the charges brought against the Trust by the HSE, Connor's loss continues to have a devastating...

From staff nurse to nurse consultant

Continuing professional development, keeping updated, attending a course, writing an assignment, being mentored by a specialist practitioner are all straightforward, logical and, if we are honest with...

Respecting clinical skills

‘Observe, record, tabulate, communicate. Use your five senses. Learn to see, learn to hear, learn to feel, learn to smell and know that by practice alone you can become expert.’ .

A matter of confidentiality

Government plans to reduce death by suicide in England

With 4500 suicides each year in England, this equates approximately to one person dying every 2 hours as a result of suicide. When someone is so emotionally troubled as to take their own life, the...

View from the top: the health secretary's views on patient safety

In a speech on 6 February 2019, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, stated that we trust nurses and doctors more than any other profession (Department of Health and Social...

Avoiding hospital readmission of a person with dementia

Some people with dementia may appear not to understand what is being discussed and give the impression they don't have the ability to contribute to decisions being made about their care. However, if...

Preparing nursing professionals fit for the evolving healthcare landscape

This may be a scary thought for some qualified staff. However, collaborative and inclusive theory, and practice education that is completely different from what has so far been the standard will...

Fear and excitement mark the transition to autonomous, registered nurse

Before starting my management placement at the critical care unit, I set myself targets that I considered to be reasonable and that I hoped would ease the sense of self-doubt I'd been feeling in the...