Anyone working in general practice would not disagree that there are significant challenges, with an increasing workload, an ageing population, and increasingly complex medical problems being diagnosed and managed. In addition, the significant underinvestment of staff working in primary care compared with the secondary care sector is now manifesting in problems associated with GP and general practice nurse (GPN) recruitment and retention (Primary Care Workforce Commission, 2015).
Allergy UK is the leading national patient information charity, providing advice and support to the estimated 21 million people living with allergic disease in the UK.
Allergic disorders are now the most common chronic conditions in children and young people, encompassing asthma, eczema, food allergy, allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and drug allergy (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology [EAACI], 2016).
The workforce problems in general practice are well known. The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) survey of general practice nurses (GPNs) published in 2015 showed that of the sample responding to the survey, approximately a third were planning to retire by 2020. Even if this were not the case, there is already a shortage of trained GPNs, just at a time when demographic changes mean demand for skilled nursing in primary care is higher than ever.
Every stroke survivor deserves the chance to make their best possible recovery, and nurses have a crucial role to play in achieving this. The condition has a greater disability impact on an individual than any other chronic disease, and there’s no ‘one-sizefits all’ solution when it comes to supporting stroke survivors with their recovery.
Coronary heart disease is the UK’s biggest killer and has a devastating effect on families as well as placing extra cost and pressure on an already stretched healthcare system. Currently, there are around 155,000 deaths every year from heart and circulatory diseases, which includes heart attacks and strokes, accounting for over a quarter of all deaths in the UK. To add to this, there are around 491,000 hospital episodes related to coronary heart disease each year, and it is estimated that cardiovascular disease costs the UK economy around £15.2 billion each year.
The 2017 Primary Care Respiratory Society UK (PCRS-UK) annual conference, ‘Beyond the respiratory consultation: inspiring lifelong change’, offers a programme packed with plenary sessions, clinical updates and hands-on workshops designed to inspire nurses who are enthusiastic about providing holistic care.
With wound and skin care taking up a considerable part of general practice nursing time, the new GPN ‘nurse consultation’ series follows the therapy chain for the management of patients with venous leg ulcers and looks at the skills needed to ensure safe, competent and professional consultations with patients.
Diagnosis and treatment of chronic oedema remains sporadic in primary care, with many patients being treated for leg ulceration rather than the complication of chronic oedema when they present with a combination of ulceration and chronic oedema.
A considerable proportion of general practice nurse (GPN) visits are for patients with venous leg ulcers (Guest et al, 2015). However, clinicians’ skills and knowledge in managing these cases vary (Wounds UK, 2016), due to the increase in comorbidities and complexities of venous ulcer presentation (Newton, 2010). This article explores accurate venous leg ulcer assessment through analysing the best evidence available. Prevalence, as well as wound, holistic and Doppler assessment are covered to provide a detailed assessment plan that can be used to ensure evidence-based patient care. Management will not be discussed in detail, but appropriate techniques will be considered with compression therapy being referred to as the gold-standard treatment for venous ulceration (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2016).
Breathing is a normal vital function which is spontaneous, regular, quiet and effortless and reflects the way that the respiratory system functions. Breathing pattern disorders or dysfunctional breathing, historically known as hyperventilation syndrome, are chronic abnormal respiratory patterns in relation to the efficiency of breathing, often resulting in dyspnoea and other non-respiratory symptoms (Clifton-Smith and Rowley, 2011). It is not a disease process, but alterations in breathing patterns that interfere with normal respiratory processes. Breathing pattern disorders can occur with an absence of disease or co-exist with many diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or heart disease, and in some cases, can mimic cardiac symptoms.
Success!