In each issue we speak to general practice nurses and ask about their role in primary care. Here,Yvonne Lee, integrated nursing team leader, Cerne Abbas Surgery, talks about an integrated nursing team.
Five-year plan aims to improve cardiovascular care for all. Sara Askew on the British Heart Foundation's five-year strategy to 2020, and the development of an alliance of healthcare professionals working with people at risk of or living with cardiovascular disease.
Working towards an end to Female genital mutilation (FGM).
FGM is a violent and damaging ritual, which, although illegal in the UK, remains a major challenge for healthcare professionals. This is in part due to the multicultural nature of our contemporary society and greater emphasis and commitment by women and professionals including the police, health and social care and government to eradicate it (Royal College of Midwives [RCM] et al, 2013).
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As a consequence of increasing prevalence, cost, and complications of diabetes, there has been a significant shift in the management of patients with diabetes from secondary to primary care in the last decade (Hawthorne et al, 2012). This article explores some of the goals, issues and practicalities in caring for people with diabetes in primary care, based on a community model used by a diabetes specialist team in London, and the role of diabetes specialist teams in supporting general practice nurses (GPNs) and other healthcare professionals in the multidisciplinary team. It also highlights the importance of ongoing diabetes education and training to ensure that all patients receive early diagnosis, appropriate health checks, an individualised treatment plan, and appropriate referral as needed.
This article is intended to give some insights into the perspective of a carer of a child with eczema and to offer practical advice on how general practice nurses (GPNs) can effectively help patients with this debilitating skin condition. Eczema can have a negative impact both on self-esteem and quality of life for patients and carers. The long-term, sometimes lifelong nature of eczema, means that patients need to be educated in how to care for their skin. GPNs can advise patients and carers about how best to self-manage this disorder, which in turn can help them to cope.
The annual review of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a routine element of practice care. With an average practice having a coronary heart disease (CHD) register of around 5% of the practice population (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2015), along with those living with other conditions that make up the spectrum of CVD (Figure 1), this accounts for a significant requirement of clinical time. The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) lists a number of clinical indicators to be attained in this population and in most practices the nursing team delivers much of the routine care. This article looks at how to make the most of CVD reviews to ensure that the clinical benefits are optimal and patients receive a quality service.
Asthma is a common long-term condition affecting adults and children. Despite a number of evidence-based guidelines for treatment and new medications and inhaler devices, mortality rates remain static. Key findings from the National Review of Asthma Deaths (Royal College of Physicians [RCP], 2014) highlighted the importance of personalised asthma action plans (PAAPs) in good asthma care. This article looks at how healthcare professionals need to work with adults and children with asthma, involving them throughout the process, to produce a meaningful, useful plan that has been developed with the person, and parents or carers. The plan should be used as an educational tool to help understand how, when and why asthma medication should be used, what is meant by asthma control, and recognition of when control is slipping.
A pre-travel consultation should be a complete health promotion exercise and not merely a matter of administering vaccines. It needs to involve a full risk assessment during which the individual, the journey and destination are examined for potential hazards. Risk management strategies then need to be discussed. Essentially, general practice nurses (GPNs) should facilitate the patient’s choice of interventions by educating them appropriately and allowing them to make informed choices. The traveller needs to leave the consultation aware of the potential risks of their trip and how to prevent or manage them. In order to do this well, GPNs should have sufficient time and access to online resources. This article looks at best practice in the pre-travel consultation.
Statistics suggest that one in four adults are obese, and up to 33% of school-aged children are overweight or obese (National Obesity Forum, 2015). Thus, on a daily basis, it is likely that general practice nurses (GPNs) will engage in consultations with patients who are overweight or obese, quite often while presenting for advice for another condition. This article explores how to broach this sensitive issue and the GPN’s role to reduce weight stigma in line with the new Nursing and Midwifery Council Code (NMC, 2015). Practical advice for GPNs to support patients in managing their weight, and identifying appropriate onward referrals, including for bariatric surgery and eating disorders, will also be discussed.
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