Resources

The ‘community matters’ feature in this issue is definitely worth taking time to read (pp. 8–12). It discusses student nurses and the value that each and every one of them brings to our practice and workplace. I am sure we have all felt an additional pressure to the ever increasing demands on our time and workload when we are allocated a student nurse to assess or supervise. There is no doubt about it — students can be challenging, but this is positive for us as well as our patients and workplaces. We are all continually learning and students are receiving knowledge based on the latest available evidence, which can support our own development. Their questions are a catalyst for reflection on our own practice and can instigate change, thus enhancing patient care. Remember — we have all been a student at some point in our careers and without the support, guidance and experiences we had, we would not be where we are today.

With all the demands on the time of community nurses, being allocated a student can often be perceived as a mandate that does not bring any immediate benefit to the supervisor, assessor and wider team. The supervision of students in the community requires one-to-one observation, which can limit the nurse’s feeling of personal autonomy. Students also require documentation to be completed to evidence learning and consideration of their individual learning needs, all of which take time. Although this role is a requirement of registered nurses, it is rarely given any protected time due to workload pressures.

In March 2025, The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) announced its new name, The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN). The change of name highlights the organisation’s commitment to promoting and supporting community nursing across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The new name was granted by supplemental Royal Charter and is actually the fourth name of the charity since it was founded in 1887, in the reign of Queen Victoria. Nursing pioneer, Florence Nightingale, was instrumental in the creation of the charity, along with the philanthropist, William Rathbone, who had pioneered district nursing in Liverpool.

After a long wait, and years after updated international guidelines, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has worked with the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) to produce a unified guideline on asthma for the UK (NICE et al, 2024).

It comes at a time when seven out of ten people with asthma are not receiving the basic care they need to stay well, often resulting in their condition being uncontrolled and leaving them at risk of lifethreatening asthma attacks. In fact, the number of asthma deaths has actually risen over the past decade (https://ow.ly/zA1750V5ZRy; https:// ow.ly/OycP50V5ZS0; https://ow.ly/ TIe250V5ZSQ).

With a quarter of children now starting school not toilet trained, ERIC, The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity is launching an intervention to help reverse the trend, and is inviting families and healthcare professionals to hop aboard the Toilet Train.

Over the last century, the average age that children are being potty trained in the UK has risen from 12–18 months, to an average of around three or even four years today (Blum et al, 2004).

ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity, carried out research with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in 2016 and the National Day Nursery Association in 2018. Both surveys showed that parents are toilet training their children later. Furthermore, research by Kindred Squared (2024) showed that one in four children in England and Wales are now starting school still wearing nappies.

Falls can have a significant impact not only on the person who experiences them, but also their key, informal carers too. When waiting for long periods of time for help on hard, often cold floors, the side-effects can be dangerous and compromise health, wellbeing and dignity. Given that most major trauma patients are aged 60 years and over and experience a low mechanism of injury, careful management is required. With the right training and support, care teams can become competent and confident to manage falls. This article explores how proactive falls management strategies can significantly improve quality of life, alleviating societal and economic burden of falls-related complications.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a long-term chronic condition, which is more common in older adults. It is a progressive disease limited to the lungs and presents with several features which have variable degrees of severity. PF is a highly complex disease with many different types, of which idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common (American Lung Association, 2024). Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is one of the most aggressive forms of PF, characterised by chronic, progressive fibrosis associated with inexorable decline in lung function, progressive respiratory failure, and high mortality (Barratt et al, 2018). The prognosis is often poor and the vague symptoms can make diagnosis challenging for clinicians. This article focuses predominantly on IPF to give an insight into this complex condition with the aim of improving confidence in recognition of the disease. With increased knowledge, it is hoped that quality of life can be improved for patients suffering with this unpleasant condition.

Many ostomates experience leaks at some points in their lives. However, some experience frequent leaks, which lead to physical complications such as sore skin, bleeding and pain, as well as having a negative impact on their emotional wellbeing and quality of life. Worrying about leaks can result in reduced sleep, social isolation and low mood — all of which can be emotionally exhausting and stressful. Effective stoma management is essential to prevent leaks and maintain peristomal skin integrity, such as the use of convex base plates. There are five characteristics of convexity which when applied correctly can reduce leaks and improve skin health, namely: depth, compressibility, flexibility, tension location and slope. These characteristics work together to achieve the desired outcome. However, tension location can be used in a different method to flatten large creases and dips. This helps to promote skin integrity and improve patient comfort and confidence in managing their stoma, as this article describes.

Wound malodour is often an unpleasant side-effect experienced by patients with hard-to-heal wounds. The impact on mental and physical wellbeing is profound and can result in embarrassment, social isolation, depression and nausea. This list is not exhaustive and understanding the effect of malodour on an individual should be considered during holistic patient assessment. This article presents the findings of two surveys which aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the impact that malodour has on individuals and also the challenges experienced by healthcare professionals (HCPs) when treating patients with malodorous wounds. The patient survey was completed by 29 people, of which 76% (n=22) experienced wound malodour. The HCPs survey was completed by 789 respondents and challenges highlighted included lack of training and education, limited access to appropriate dressings and managing patient expectations.

Hard-to-heal wounds present a significant challenge in healthcare, requiring a comprehensive understanding of the wound healing process and effective management strategies. A survey was conducted by the Journal of Community Nursing among its registered online members to explore the current opinions and challenges faced by healthcare professionals (HCPs) who are involved in delivering wound care, including opinions on advanced wound therapies. The survey, which consisted of 14 questions, highlighted some interesting findings including several challenges experienced when treating patients with wounds. Results revealed that 69% (n=311) of participants indicated a lack of time and resources as the primary barrier. Patient compliance (67%, n=303), limited access to advanced therapies (47%, n=211), insufficient training (37%), and cost pressures (32%, n=145) were also significant concerns. Despite these challenges, most respondents (63%, n=281) felt ‘somewhat satisfied’ with their ability to manage wounds, but found the process frustrating due to the difficulties that they encountered.