‘Be at the table or you will be on the menu’

A decade-long journey from novice to manager in general practice

The narrative of my journey commences with the exhilarating moment of entering the bustling environment of a general practice as a newly qualified nurse. I embarked on what would become the most...

Community and collaboration: a Parkinson's nurse shares her leading lights

This initiative is not new, but it works. It is proactive care, through collaboration with patients, their loved ones, and other specialist teams.

Breastfeeding and respiratory syncytial virus

Culturally embedded attitudes such as embarrassment about breastfeeding in public and adherence to deep-rooted societal norms can blunt the beneficial impact of public health initiatives on...

Bird flu: should we be concerned?

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) type A (H5N1) infections during the 2021–2022 epidemiological year have been the largest in European history, involving 37 countries; 2520 HPAI outbreaks in...

Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid and ethics

‘Members of society are entitled to consider ethical concerns about profits from drug development versus the wellbeing of Alzheimer’s disease patients and their families.‘ .

Type 2 diabetes and remission through diet

Of 186 T2D patients who chose a low-carbohydrate approach — which included one-to-one GP consultations, plus group consultations and personal phone calls as necessary — not only did 97% improve their...

Flu season adds pressure to primary and acute care sectors as service demand soars

While the NHS faced, and continues to face, such pressures, it became clear that a number of trusts could not cope with increased demand, which was made worse by the shortage of social care services...

Practice nurses encouraged to use direct web-based referrals for ex-Forces patients

At The Poppy Factory, our employment consultants have expertise working with ex-Forces personnel with mild, moderate and complex mental and physical health conditions. We know employment can have a...

Zinc deficiency: an overlooked cause of poor health

Zinc is a trace element whose properties include regulation of gastrointestinal, immune, integumentary, reproductive and central nervous systems (Corbo and Lam, 2013). The body harbours two pools of...

COPD diagnosis delays: the role of general practice nurses

Up to 46 000 people missed out on a COPD diagnosis in 2021 (Department of Health and Social care, 2022), driven by lack of access to services such as spirometry..

Getting involved in the GPN forum committee

The general practice nurse (GPN) forum should be the ideal place for people to test their wings and make their views and voice heard, to shape the current GPN outlook, maybe based on the Sonnet report...