Resources

Childhood continence problems are common. One in 12 children are affected by a bowel or bladder problem: that’s around three children in every primary school class. In an average
secondary school, around 30–40 of young people struggle with a wetting or soiling issue (Joinson et al, 2018).

Some years ago, the Self Care Forum (www.selfcareforum.org) realised that there was a great deal of innovation in self care work taking place across the UK; empowering individuals and making a real difference to health in the community, often with limited resources and challenging coronavirus restrictions. Thus, the Self Care Innovation Awards were introduced to share the practical learning and recognise self care excellence.

Across the UK, there are profound health inequalities for people living in rural communities when compared to their metropolitan counterparts. Barriers, such as slow advances in health technology and a lack of healthcare professionals, are causing issues including lower life expectancy, a mental health crisis, and lower survival rates for diseases such as cancer for people living in rural communities. This is affecting people of all ages, with young people in deprived rural areas more likely to have chronic health conditions.

You might be surprised to learn that heart failure (HF) affects almost a million Brits, and that there are 200,000 new cases annually (British Heart Foundation — https://bit.ly/3LAxTlO). At Pumping Marvellous, the UK’s only dedicated patient-led heart failure charity, we are not surprised that you did not know that. HF’s profile is far lower than it should be, and people
— decision makers, public, policy makers, politicians — are reluctant to talk about HF.

In March this year, my good friend and colleague, Ellie Lindsay OBE, received a lifetime achievement award from the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS)
at their conference in Abu Dhabi. This recognition marks Ellie’s tireless dedication to the Leg Club model she created, which has become a genuine force in community care.

The European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel and Pan-Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance (EPUAP, NPIAP and PPPIA, 2019) defined a
pressure ulcer as an area of localised damage to the skin and underlying tissue mainly caused by pressure, or pressure in combination with shear, which usually develops on bony prominences, such as the sacrum, coccyx bone and heel. Although considerable effort has been, and continues to be made in education, training, and prevention equipment, pressure ulcers remain a significant healthcare issue in various settings. Apart from manual repositioning, a pressure-relieving support surface is an alternative way to redistribute pressure by reducing the shear or friction between the user and surface (Springle and Sonenblum, 2011; Shi et al, 2018).

This clinical series aims to demystify and simplify approaches to assessment and management of chronic oedema in the community, including the promotion of selfcare, to improve efficiency and the delivery of evidence-based care for patients with chronic oedema. Part 3 looks at how to assess chronic oedema using the six Ss, discussing the final three — skin, size and shape.

There are over 200,000 people in the UK with a stoma and it is known that skin complications are common. Therefore, it is likely that nurses will encounter patients in the community with peristomal skin complications. Commonly, problems occur due to appliance leakage which might be because of weight change for example. Leaks might be
caused by uneven skin surface, with a skin dip or crease, which means that the stoma appliance cannot adhere adequately to the abdominal 

Indwelling urinary catheters are one of the most commonly used devices in health care. They are usually considered a short-term intervention to manage an episode of urinary retention. Some catheters are removed before discharge, however many are not. Catheters should be removed as soon as possible to avoid catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) and sepsis. When they are left in situ for longer than necessary, the person is put at risk of complications while waiting for an appointment to have it removed. Historically in the authors’ NHS organisation, requests for a trial without catheter (TWOC) were sent to urology from a wide range of clinical settings and subsequently the patient was placed on a long waiting list for a hospital TWOC. This article discusses the transition from hospital to a community-based nurse-led TWOC service and its benefits.

Pneumonia is defined as an infection of the lung tissue in which the air sacs become filled with microorganisms, fluid and inflammatory cells, affecting the function of the lungs (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2021a). The disease can affect anyone at any age and is a cause of morbidity mortality around the world, and particularly likely to result in poor outcomes in the elderly, babies and young children, and those with additional health problems (Htun et al, 2019). This article focuses on community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults, and hopes to give nurses and non-medical prescribers an insight into the recognition, treatment and management of this disease in the adult population, with the aim of reducing hospital admissions and improving outcomes for those patients affected.