Resources

Past editorials, both my own and others I have read, reflect on the joys of spring; the warmer weather and the beauty of gardens in full bloom. This year we have all of this, and I am enjoying the weather and taking time to value and appreciate nature each day. I find this form of mindfulness helpful for my overall wellbeing within a busy day-to-day routine. However, I am also aware that this time of year doesn’t bring joy for all. In particular, those with hay fever can really struggle with the kind of weather and subsequent hay fever levels we have experienced this year. Where I live, the goat willow seeds are blowing everywhere — beautiful to look at but potentially sensitising for those prone to hay fever.

Like an annoying party guest who turns up before you’ve had a chance to crack open the wine and choose a suitable playlist, the hay fever season seems to be arriving earlier each year. But is this early onslaught of sneezing, coughs and runny noses a trick of our collective imaginations, an effect of climate change, or simply a function of changing allergen patterns?

Allergy UK launched a powerful campaign, ‘I Wish I Knew…’ in April, developed in response to rising allergy cases; with one in two people in Europe estimated to be living with an allergy by 2026 according to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Summer has arrived and many of us are daring to get our legs out! That prospect isn’t an option for some people, however.

Across the UK, millions live with lower limb wounds and swelling that is preventable, and treatable — yet too often are given suboptimal care. These conditions can have a huge impact on a patient’s quality of life (Franks et al, 2006; GonzálezConsuegra and Verdu, 2011) and a significant burden on the NHS (Guest et al, 2020).

Transforming Roles is a flagship programme of work in Scotland. It aims to provide strategic oversight, direction and governance to develop and transform nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (NMAHP) roles to meet the current and future needs of Scotland’s health and care system. It also ensures that there is a nationally consistent, sustainable education and career pathway approach so that practitioners are appropriately prepared for new and enhanced roles. NHS Education Scotland (NES) provides strategic oversight and works in collaboration with key stakeholders to lead education development to support the Transforming Roles agenda.

Here, Callum Metcalfe-O’Shea, UK professional lead for long-term conditions at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), talks to Andrew Power, water wellbeing specialist at Swim England, the national governing body for swimming and aquatic sports in England, about the importance of swimming in providing physical and mental wellbeing benefits and highlighting the crucial role that GPNs play in supporting these conversations.

Wound care presents a substantial burden on the NHS, clinicians, and patients. Promoting supported self-management has emerged as a key strategy to empower patients in proactively managing their wounds. When implemented appropriately, it can improve treatment adherence, enhance patient wellbeing, reduce the need for clinical appointments, and lower healthcare costs. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this shift by limiting face-to-face care, highlighting the importance of equipping patients with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required for effective self-management. Clear terminology and standardised approaches are essential for enabling the successful implementation of patient selfcare. Products such as Flaminal® (an enzyme alginogel®), with its simplicity and versatility, offers a practical solution that supports patient-led wound care while promoting sustainable healthcare delivery.

Cervical cancer is one of the main causes of death among women with a cervix globally, and yet it is mostly preventable. Screening programmes within the UK, for example, fail to be accessed by many due to a plethora of reasons, including failing to see cervical screening as a priority and concerns around the screening process itself. In light of failure to attend, many women receive a late diagnosis of cervical cancer and sadly treatment plans can be limited in their success. This paper highlights the importance of reducing the barriers associated with cervical screening and emphasises the importance of healthcare professionals taking positive action to increase the numbers attending. It also highlights the importance of young people receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination (both girls and boys), as this has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of cervical cancer. Cervical screening does not eliminate cervical cancer, but it can help to detect it early and, in so doing, increase the chances of survival.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral infection spread by the bite of an infected tick. Eating or drinking raw (unpasteurised) milk or dairy products from infected animals (cows, goats and sheep) is also a risk. Ticks carrying TBE are found in forests, grasslands, moors and wooded areas (including urban parks) in many parts of Asia and Europe. Most people infected with TBE do not become seriously ill, but TBE can cause a severe, potentially life-threatening central nervous system illness. TBE vaccine is a private travel vaccine in the United Kingdom (UK) and is recommended for those visiting TBE affected areas, if their activities and/or job put them at increased risk or they will be living in a TBE endemic region.

Prostate cancer screening in asymptomatic men is contentious and there is currently no national screening programme in the UK. Routine asymptomatic prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is often considered ineffective due to its diagnostic limitations and risks of overdiagnosis and subsequent overtreatment. This project undertaken by the author’s trust utilised the Prostate Cancer UK toolkit to engage men in making informed, personalised decisions regarding PSA testing. Men identified as being at elevated risk were contacted by text message and offered information about the risks and benefits of PSA testing, access to a personalised risk checker from Prostate Cancer UK and a direct testing pathway. The approach aimed to support informed decision-making in prostate cancer screening using the PSA blood test.