Stories of GP practices with staff standing around with no patient lists, NHS trusts being unable to access IT systems, blood
records and radiology services, as well as emails and even telephone systems being interrupted, hit the national headlines back in May (‘Global cyber attack is using US spy hacking tools’ — Daily Mail Online, 12 May 2017; ‘Massive ransomware cyber-attack hits nearly 100 countries countries around the world’ — The Guardian 12 May 2017; ‘NHS left reeling cyber-attack: “We are literally unable to do any x-rays”’ — The Guardian, 13 May 2017).
We get our news, shopping and do our banking online, but now we can manage our health online too. I see digital NHS services at the heart of creating a better, more improved, patient-centred NHS where people feel more involved in their health and care.
Working in community nursing can at times feel quite lonely and isolating. It can be hard to keep up to date with the latest developments or catch up with colleagues while struggling with the day-to-day pressure to see more and more patients, many of whom have complex problems.
Though incidents suchasthis highlight the fragilityof life, they also show thestrength of thehuman spirit.With terribletragedy comesselfless acts of kindness,from both members of thepublic and trained clinicians.
Traditional values may appear to be in decline in some aspects of society, but all of us should seek to bring them into everyday working lives, not only for the benefit of ourselves, but also for those around us.
Sunday is a day we associate with friends and family. Cooking Sunday lunches, watching our favourite television shows and catching up with friends. But, for hundreds of thousands of older people across the UK, Sunday can be a day they dread. Contact the Elderly’s recent research reveals 76% of older people find Sunday to be the hardest day of the week.
Social care has become a hot topic in the news in the past year, with the worries and fears of the sector being widely reported. Many people may think it is an issue which does not affect them — but the reality is that most of us at some point in our lives will need care and support.
Experiences of emotional trauma can lead to poorer physical health. Trauma can originate from childhood experiences, domestic violence, being a refugee, or military service. Very often people who are homeless have experienced some kind of psychological trauma earlier in their life. Hence, it is extremely important that healthcare professionals have some knowledge of this process, if they are to offer holistic care to people.
The response of community staff to a person experiencing cardiac arrest can be critical to saving that individual’s life. UK ambulance services respond to approximately 60,000 cases of suspected cardiac arrest each year and resuscitation is performed during approximately 28,000 of these calls; unfortunately, less than one-in-ten people actually survive long enough to be discharged from hospital (British Resuscitation Council, 2015).
Current British Resuscitation Council (2015) guidelines recommended that basic life support consists of two elements: mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions. The aim of this article is to challenge the need for so-called ‘rescue breaths’ within cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
More than 100,000 children and young people across the UK are living with serious illness or exceptional health needs. The number who are fully dependent on technologies such as long-term ventilation continues to grow and their needs are becoming increasingly complex and time-intensive.
In spite of mounting evidence that they fare better at home, many spend months, even years, in hospital, simply because there isn’t adequate support for them to leave. Once home, it is important not to underestimate the impact on the whole family in supporting these children with high-level medical needs, many of who are at constant risk of serious, even life-threatening complications. Managing the profusion of medications and complicated medical procedures, normally the province of healthcare professionals, can place an enormous strain on families.
