What nurses do as routine, is special in the time of COVID-19

Opportunities for nurses in primary care networks: time to take the reins

PCNs should ‘typically’ cover a population of between 30 000 and 50 000 people. PCNs are expected to be geographically contiguous and coterminous with local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and...

Adapting practice during the pandemic

Improving uptake of influenza vaccination in primary care

GP practices need to have systems in place that enable staff to identify people eligible for flu vaccination. Suggested methods of contacting patients include by writing (letter, email or text...

Raising the voice of practice nurses in 2020

The recent publication of the Primary Care Network (PCN) service specifications make no reference to general practice nursing (NHS, 2019), but it is likely that much of the work of the new services,...

The sharp end of diabetes nursing

There are some key fundamentals for any HCW in practice who needs to administer insulin to another individual. Regarding insulin pens, a dual ended safety pen needle should be used. This is a device...

Celebrating nursing: why would I want to retire?

My school days were great, but I was never a high achiever. I had to work hard to gain my CSEs, but I achieved what I needed in the end. I loved being a pupil nurse and had so many wonderful...

Becoming a lead nurse in a primary care network

Within West Kent there was a recognition that there was little to no nurse representation within the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and this needed to change with the development of PCNs. West...

The 2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife and Nightingale bicentenary celebrations

‘We have to envisage our role beyond nursing and see ourselves as health broadcasters and social media communicators, transforming health and social care with others and carrying forward...

Understanding indemnity in practice nursing: part 2

Protection of workers against accidents at work has been evident in UK law since the early days of the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century. It was not until relatively recently that...

Understanding indemnity in practice nursing: part 1

To indemnify someone against something is to mitigate the adverse financial consequences of a legal liability claim brought successfully against a practice nurse. It will most often be a claim by an...

Could mandatory vaccinations increase uptake in children?

This rise in measles cases, coupled with Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock's refusal to rule out mandatory vaccination, has initiated the debate around the use of such punitive measures as...