Under attack: Abuse of nurses continue to increase

The Nursing in Practice September/October issue is now available in print, online and as an app.

Janet Davies, the new chief of the Royal College of Nursing reveals her opinions on the NHS, the government’s current plans for seven day working and her aspiration for the nurse workforce in this issue’s feature interview. “The real experts of nursing are in our membership so it’s really important we enable their voice to be heard, ” she says.

New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is once again a key part of the issue focusing on: reducing the harm of smoking, diagnosing and managing diabetes in children, assessing melanoma and weight management in children and young people.

Nurses can also catch up on all the latest healthcare news, including stories on: school nursing cuts, alcohol limits for pregnant women, the rise of diabetes, the petition to fight nurse deportation to mention a few.

Results from the recent Royal College of Nursing survey which showed 50% of community nurses have been subject to abuse is featured in the magazine to understand why the workforce feels ‘under attack’. Heather Henry co-vice chair of NHS Alliance’s Practice Nurse Network, NHS Employers, Margaret Stubbs a diabetes specialist nurse, Caroline Smith an advanced practitioner and Unison representative, NHS Protect and the Royal College of Nursing all comment on the prevalence of abuse of nurses and the use of lone working devices.

Muili Lawal a senior lecturer at the University of West London explains the importance of diabetes specialist nurses in a professional article. He says: “The dramatic increase in the number of people with diabetes calls for effective management of this long-term condition, which cannot be done without diabetes specialist nurses.”

This issue’s nurse profile talks to humanitarian nurse Emma Pedley about her experiences in South Sudan, central African Republic and her recent mission to Nepal following it’s devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake which resulted in 8, 898 deaths and injured 22, 309 people. During her time in Nepal she travelled by helicopter to conduct remote clinics in villages that had been cut off from healthcare. Speaking of her experience she says: “The psychological shock that people were experiencing was probably the worst thing to see… people were saying we are too scared to rebuild because if there is another earthquake it will kill us.”

The 13 clinical, peer reviewed papers include the following: eczema; smoking cessation aids; inhaler techniques; infection prevention and control; dealing with flu in primary care; hearing problems and the the risk factors of type 2 diabetes.

Nursing in Practice’s Community Midwife Special magazine is released alongside this issue. The special kicks off with an introduction and examination of midwifery in the 21st century from Alison Edwards a senior midwifery lecturer at Birmingham City University.

The magazine continues with articles focusing on vulnerable mothers in pregnancy and the postnatal period, water labour and birth, understanding the risks of smoking in pregnancy and weight management in pregnancy.