Resources

In each issue we investigate a hot topic affecting you and your community practice. Here, Geraldine Walters CBE (left), executive director of professional practice, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Heather Bain ( right), academic strategic lead, academic programmes for Robert Gordon University and district nurse educator look at what the NMC post-registration qualifications consultation means for community nursing.

One in five people in the UK has asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or another longterm respiratory illness. Half of them are currently on treatment (mainly inhalers) for lung disease and they account for more than 700,000 hospital admissions in the UK each year (British Lung Foundation [BLF], 2021). Positive images of adults, children and young people using inhalers correctly will go a long way to help improve the care and outcomes for the population.

All too often patients subjected to radiotherapy (RT) will develop skin burns. These are accepted by many clinicians as being an unfortunate sequel of a lifesaving treatment; however, evidence is beginning to show that they need not be regarded as ‘inevitable’ (Bray et al, 2016). There are treatment options which can help avoid, or ameliorate them that merit consideration. After specialist RT centre treatment, skin burns become the responsibility of the community nurse to address. They can cause serious reduction in patient quality of life, or even delay further radiotherapy owing to pain and exudation (Singh et al, 2016).

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) is one of a number of charities that will receive additional support from the Covid-19 Healthcare Support Appeal (CHSA) this year. The funding allocated to the QNI will be used to support community nurses in financial need over the next 12 months. The new money from CHSA is specifically for nurses whose financial circumstances have been impacted by the pandemic and is one of several initiatives it is supporting across the voluntary sector.

Covid-19 has had a severe impact on everyone’s lives, but the past year has been exceptionally challenging for nurses and healthcare workers battling the pandemic on the frontline.

There are striking parallels between the experiences veterans faced in conflict to those which healthcare professionals continue to face in the fight against Covid-19. Any traumatic event — whether a global pandemic or experience of war — takes its emotional toll. Repeated exposure can overwhelm the nervous system and lead to burnout and trauma fatigue.

Hourglass is the only charity in the UK focused on the abuse of older people and safer ageing. The charity rebranded from Action on Elder Abuse in March 2020 and receives around 8,000 calls from those affected by older abuse throughout the year. Currently, Hourglass is calling for amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill, so it better reflects the challenges and reality faced by older people throughout the UK. The seriousness and level of abuse taking place has been pulled into harsh focus by recent lockdowns. Hourglass wants to ensure that all victims, especially from older groups, receive the legal and

World Continence Week (WCW), taking place from 21–27 June, is an annual health campaign run by the World Federation for Incontinence and Pelvic Problems (WFIPP). The campaign highlights the impact that urinary incontinence can have on people’s lives and encourages sufferers to seek help to improve their quality of life.

When the skin is subjected to prolonged or continuous exposure to moisture the result can be mild, moderate or severe skin damage known as moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) (Parnham et al, 2020). To ensure that the correct preventative or management strategy is implemented, it is vital to perform holistic assessment which should incorporate tools that help alert practitioners to potential damage and categorise existing skin damage (Parnham et al, 2020). One such tool, Skin Moisture Alert Reporting Tool (S.M.A.R.T), has been endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2019). As a result of assessment, different products will be selected depending on whether the skin is intact or there is mild, moderate or severe skin damage.

This product snapshot, the second of two, examines the benefits of Medi Derma-PRO Foam and Spray Incontinence Cleanser and Skin Protectant Ointment (Figure 2) within a structured skin care regimen, in the prevention and management of severe skin damage. The first product snapshot focused on Medi Derma-S Total Barrier Cream and Film in the prevention and management of mild and moderate skin damage.