Introducing key papers and publications that focus mainly on the latest news and issues in the nursing profession.
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Source: Nurse Education in Practice 2022;61: 103328
An alternative way to conceptualise aspects of modern nursing
Abstract: The author describes a different approach to considering the many components of work undertaken by nurses that could help to reduce workforce pressures. Daily, numerous efforts are made to manage nurse staffing levels, with significant time spent mitigating shortfalls to support the safest staffing position possible shift by shift. NHS Improvement (2018) cited steps to support organisations to use best practice for effective staff deployment and workforce planning.
Source: British Journal of Nursing 2022; 31(6): 339
Health inequity in the UK: exploring health inequality and inequity
Abstract: In this article, the first of two, the authors examine the factors that lead to certain groups having poorer health outcomes in the UK. Practice nurses are ideally placed within local communities to have a significant impact on addressing health inequities. However, to achieve this they need to understand the many factors that lead to certain groups having poorer health outcomes.
Source: Practice Nursing 2022; 33(2): 72-76
Practice nurse workforce numbers: are we heading towards a problem?
Abstract: The number of practice nurses in the UK is significantly lower than those working as nurses on a ward. Despite many experienced nurses opting to work a practice nurses, the number of newly qualified nurses choosing practice nursing as their first post is low. Newly qualified nurses, instead, prefer to gain experience in secondary care first, with many not realising practice nurses do not need to have worked in secondary care.
Source: Practice Nursing 2022; 33(4): 155-158
A multidisciplinary learning approach: a narrative review
Abstract: Advanced nursing/clinical practice has emerged worldwide in response to the demands of changing complex healthcare needs and ageing populations, and the need to improve services and outcomes, decrease waiting times and reduce overall healthcare cost. A reduction in medical practitioners' working hours has meant other disciplines have to develop medical skills. Evidence suggests there are global differences in the advanced practice role definition, expectations and scope of practice.
Source: British Journal of Nursing 2022; 31(7): 364-370
The nurse's legal duty to safely delegate tasks and to follow up the outcome
Abstract: The NHS workforce continues to be understaffed and under-resourced with one in 10 nursing posts vacant. Registered nurses delegate tasks to junior colleagues, support workers, students and relatives to help manage their workload and ensure that patients receive timely care. Delegation is encouraged by the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a way of managing workload, but the 2018 Code reminds nurses that the delegation must be safe and that nurses are accountable for their delegation decisions.
Source: British Journal of Nursing 2022; 31(7): 400-401
Daily Insight: Fanciful Fabricant fans the flames
Abstract: Backbench MP Michael Fabricant's claim that nurses “had a quiet drink” after shifts during lockdowns, while commenting on the PM and chancellor’s partygate fines, fanned the flames further among a health service still limping through a pandemic two years after it began. Also: If 12 per cent of midwives leave their jobs in healthcare, as suggested by the most recent Staff Survey results, the impact on the NHS will be devastating. 14 April.
Source: HSJ: Health Service Journal (Daily Insight) 2022; 7032294
What makes for a good nursing handover?
Abstract: This article discusses the part that the nursing handover plays in providing quality care to patients and the smooth running of the shift and clinical area. Following an introduction stating what is meant by a handover, the relevant parts of the Nursing and Midwifery Council code will then be discussed. The importance of good communication as well as delegation will be discussed, before moving on to identify potential issues to achieving a quality nursing handover and ways to overcome these.
Source: British Journal of Healthcare Assistants 2022; 16(3): 134-137
Working on the roadmap to ACP
Abstract: For many years, as an employer, I was concerned by the host of roles and levels of practice that surrounded job titles of ‘advanced’ or ‘specialist’. Given the potential risk to both individuals and employers, in a bid to achieve a systematic approach and have access to the apprenticeship levy as one of the routes available for funding, I chaired the Institute for Preceptorships and Technical Education's Advanced Clinical Practice Trailblazer group in 2017/2018.
Source: British Journal of Nursing 2022; 31(8): 461
Commitment and growth: advancing mental health nursing now and for the future
Abstract: This report contains a range of recommendations to develop the mental health nursing workforce. It outlines eight system-wide recommendations addressing issues including career progression and encouraging nurses to remain in the profession. Each set of recommendations is broken down into action points for areas of work - analysing where and how changes can be made, to guide future policy.
Source: Health Education England (HEE); 2022
Targeting personalised leadership factors based on the organisational needs of nurses may cultivate and improve their nursing leadership
Abstract: Implementation programmes to improve nursing leadership should attend to the needs of nursing leaders in their specific organisational contexts. Innovative theoretical frameworks of nursing leadership should be developed to guide interventions and their implementation in a wide range of healthcare settings.
Source: Evidence-Based Nursing 2022; 25(2): 68
Newly Registered Nursing Associate Guide
Abstract: The RCN's Newly Registered Nursing Associate Guide assists trainee nursing associates in their transition to registered nursing associate. It includes information on standards of proficiency, advice on registration and revalidation, an overview of preceptorship and further ways in which the RCN can support members with advice on appraisals and wellbeing. Registered nursing associates may also find the guide helpful when revalidating.
Source: Royal College of Nursing (RCN); 2022
Inspiring others through compassionate leadership: - the power of partnerships
Abstract: Nursing support workers are at the heart of many care environments, but preconceived ideas lead some to believe, wrongly, that these team members are not also leaders. At the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the Nursing Support Worker Committee prides itself on growing through and encouraging compassionate leadership.
Source: British Journal of Healthcare Assistants 2022; 16(4): 172–174
The experiences and perceptions of newly qualified nurses in the UK: An integrative literature review
Abstract: This integrative review aimed to develop an understanding of the experiences and perceptions of newly qualified nurses in the United Kingdom (UK). In the transitional period following registration, newly qualified nurses may feel socially isolated and overwhelmed by increases in accountability, workplace pressures and the psychological demands of the role. Despite this, the experiences and perceptions of newly qualified nurses remains an under-researched area in the UK.
Source: Nurse Education in Practice 2022; 62: 103338
Handing on the baton: developing early career nurse leaders
Abstract: The Nursing Now Challenge has been designed to continue the Nightingale Challenge, moving forward and passing on the baton of leadership to the next generation of nurses (Nursing Now Challenge, 2022). The Nursing Now Challenge Fellowship (NNCF) is an international programme that aims to build the leadership skills of early career nurses and midwives in Africa and Asia.
Source: British Journal of Nursing 2022; 31(9): 504-505
Progress and Challenge in Delivering Safe and Effective Care 2022
Abstract: This RCN Wales report looks at progress in the implementation of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016. It examines the implementation from an all-Wales perspective in each health board, based on publicly available documents, and indicates the challenges ahead.
Source: Royal College of Nursing (RCN); 2022
The NMC Register: annual data report 2021-2022
Abstract: The number of nursing and midwifery professionals registered to practise in the UK has grown to more than 758,000. But the number of people leaving the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register has also started to rise.
Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC); 2022
Leavers' survey 2022: Why do people leave the NMC register?
Abstract: A total of 27,133 professionals left the NMC register in 2021–2022. That’s 13 percent more than the year before, and starts to reverse a downward trend in leavers over the recent years. Many said their main reasons included too much pressure, and poor workplace culture. And more than a third of respondents said the Covid-19 pandemic influenced their decision to leave.
Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC); 2022
Openness and honesty when things go wrong: the professional duty of candour
Abstract: This guidance on the professional duty of candour was produced in collaboration with the General Medical Council and has been refreshed in March 2022. It focuses not only on the duty to be open and honest with patients but also on the need to be open and honest within organisations in reporting adverse incidents or near misses that may have led to harm.
Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) & General Medical Council (GMC); 2022
Employment Survey Report 2021: Workforce diversity and employment experiences
Abstract: The second report from the RCN's annual employment survey focuses on four major themes: working hours and patterns; experience of workplace abuse; bullying and harassment, and career progression. Black and Asian nurses overlooked for promotion due to structural racism, the research reveals.
Source: Royal College of Nursing (RCN); 2022
It's never easy to leave our comfort zone
Abstract: As we move through the post-pandemic phase of nursing leadership, I am prioritising plans for ward and matron leadership development. I have consequently been considering role models who have influenced me: I have once again watched one of my favourite role models, Brian Dolan, talking about leadership on YouTube (Dolan, 2015).
Source: British Journal of Nursing 2022; 31(11): 603
Where next for NHS nurses' pay?
Abstract: This analysis looks at the impact of high inflation and other factors affecting nurse pay, assessing the potential implications for the 2022 NHS Pay Review Body recommendations on nurses' earnings. Secondly, the Health Foundation consider the extent to which the current pay determination system could be improved to meet NHS nurse workforce priorities.
Source: The Health Foundation; 2022
Giving nurses a voice through 'listening to staff' conversations to inform nurse retention and reduce turnover
Abstract: Health and social care employers in the UK cannot afford to lose nurses given the current nursing workforce crisis. A variety of staff engagement initiatives aim to improve employee retention. This article describes how Listening to Staff (L2S) events were used as part of a service review to inform nurse retention strategies in one acute hospital trust. Over a 3-year period, 576 nurses took part in L2S events that examined nurses' perspectives of teamworking and support.
Source: British Journal of Nursing 2022; 31(12): 632-638
Collaboration between universities and nursing placement providers is essential to ensure the well-being of the future nursing workforce
Abstract: Implications for practice and research
Joint initiatives between educational settings and placement providers are required to promote student nurse well-being. Future research must ensure rigorous study design with planned long-term follow-up, to support the development of a robust body of evidence.
Source: Evidence-Based Nursing 2022; 25(3): 92
Predictors of nursing staff's mental health and the effect of social support on preventing the impact of workplace bullying on mental health
Abstract: Implications for practice and research
The hospital managers/leaders could decrease workplace bullying by implementing an educational programme, increasing social support and changing the organisational policies. Future research can assess the effect of external control personality to evaluate workplace bullying.
Source: Evidence-Based Nursing 2022; 25(3): 98
How to unlock nurse leadership potential
Abstract: The NHS has received multiple leadership reviews in the past decade. Time after time, leadership and culture are cited to be at the heart of how a service or a whole organisation performs and how it is viewed. In October last year, the government commissioned a review into leadership across health and social care, led by Sir Gordon Messenger and supported by Dame Linda Pollard. It focused on the best ways to strengthen leadership and management across health and social care in England.
Source: British Journal of Nursing 2022; 31(13): 723
Learning from the professional midwifery advocate role to revise clinical supervision in nursing
Abstract: In 2017, midwifery reformed its supervision model, with the change from supervisors of midwives to professional midwifery advocates. This new model links continuous quality improvement, staff wellbeing, patient experience and education to improve care. This article discusses the potential advantages of this model over the current nursing clinical supervision approach.
Source: British Journal of Healthcare Management 2022; 28(7): 196-200
Staff burn-out has implications for organisational and patient outcomes: would an open culture of support with structures in place prevent burn-out?
Abstract: Implications for practice and research:
Supporting a culture of staff well-being will have benefits on organisational and patient outcomes.
Further research is required using a consistent theoretical/measurement approach to investigate the long-term effects of organisational and personal interventions to prevent burn-out.
Source: Evidence-Based Nursing 2022; 25(3): 99
What are the barriers to nurses reporting incidents?
Abstract: Implications for practice and research:
Reporting incidents in health care is considered a strategy to assess, prevent and reduce the occurrence of incidents. Due to the effects of barriers and facilitators on incident reporting, a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis are required.
Source: Evidence-Based Nursing 2022; 25(3): 97
Nursing and midwifery retention self-assessment tool
Abstract: This tool enables organisations to undertake a self- assessment against the seven elements of the NHS people promise plus key elements that support staff to deliver high quality care, enhancing job satisfaction and supporting the retention of nurses and midwives. Organisations are encouraged to use the information gathered in the dashboard to develop and implement their local evidence-based retention improvement plans.
Source: NHS England; 2022
Retaining our nursing and midwifery colleagues
Abstract: In this letter Professor Em Wilkinson-Brice and Dame Ruth May, DBE set out the principles and high impact actions which will support the retention of nurses and midwives.
Source: NHS England; 2022
