01 March 2021

Migraine is a common debilitating headache condition that affects the quality of life of those affected. Migraine costs the NHS £150 million annually, with GP visits and prescriptions accounting for most of these costs. With access to neurologists and headache specialists limited in the UK, migraine is a condition GPs and general practice nurses (GPNs) are faced with on a daily basis. Therefore, it is vital that GPNs have good knowledge of migraines. They should be able to distinguish between common primary headaches, such as tension-type headaches (TTH), and migraines to avoid misdiagnosis and inform appropriate treatment, as well as to understand when acute or preventative treatments are required. As GPNs are limited in treatments they can provide for migraine, it is important that they recognise when to refer patients to a neurologist. This article explores how nurses within the general practice can effectively manage migraine patients to improve patient quality of life and alleviate pressures on an overstretched healthcare system.

02 October 2017

Ground breaking nurse-led lung cancer project.

A recent independent evaluation of Liverpool’s Healthy Lung programme, undertaken by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Liverpool, found that this nurse-led programme is improving early detection of lung cancer and undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Liverpool’s healthy lung programme was launched in April 2016 by NHS Liverpool clinical commissioning group (CCG), working in partnership with local hospitals, NHS England, Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support as part of the national ACE programme, with the aim of finding and treating as many cases of lung cancer and COPD as possible, and as early as possible.

01 September 2020

This article discusses the assessment and management of vitamin B12 deficiency. The author examines the causes of this condition, such as pernicious anaemia, and the different methods that can be used to manage it, for example vitamin B12 supplements, diet and medication review. Primary care nurses are frequently responsible for ordering blood tests and managing B12 deficiency. However, there is a lack of consistency in the management of the condition, partly because there are a number of different blood tests that can be performed, not all of which are available in every hospital laboratory.

29 March 2023

Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity, determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. Its vision is a future where nobody dies of the disease.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second biggest cancer killer (Bowel Cancer UK, 2022a). Nearly 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel
cancer every year in the UK (Bowel Cancer, 2022b).

10 August 2018

Shingles is a painful and debilitating disease which disproportionately affects older adults. Despite an effective vaccine, the use of which has reduced cases of shingles and the subsequent complication of postherpetic neuralgia, many eligible older adults are not receiving the vaccine. Uptake is lower than would be hoped for and has declined each year since the programme was introduced in 2013. This year, efforts are being made to reinvigorate interest in the vaccination programme and to provide supporting literature and information. General practice nurses (GPNs) are instrumental in advising patients about vaccination and will deliver the majority of vaccines. This article provides an overview of the disease, its cause, the role of immunity, risk and incidence, disease course, treatment, prevention and how to improve uptake by employing best practice initiatives. GPNs can use this information to advocate shingle vaccination and improve uptake and protection for the vulnerable older adults in the population.

14 March 2017

Kathryn Evans gives her views on what needs to be done to provide high value wound care.

I have always been passionate about wound care and, as a practising district nurse, I learnt by experience and training to measure wounds, take photographs and undertake Doppler assessments (a noninvasive method to identify arterial insufficiency in the leg). This helped me to establish the treatment that each wound needed.

What I did not know was the effectiveness of my prescribed care and how my healing rates compared with another nurse’s care. I also could not say with any accuracy how quickly a patient could expect their wound to heal. I wish I had known…

So, my questions to you would be: Do you know? And, why is it important?

01 October 2019

In 2017, UK expenditure on health care reached £197.2 billion pounds (Office for National Statistics [ONS], 2018). Many publicly recognised health challenges have been associated with estimated costs, for example, direct cost of diabetes treatment are £9.8 billion, while dementia care consumes £4.3 billion, and healthcare associated infections £1 billion annually (National Health Service, 2012; Alzheimer’s Society, 2014; National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2017).

06 April 2020

In 2019, an indemnity scheme was introduced in England, covering all staff working in general practice. Although the scheme covers work delivered under an NHS contract, there are certain exceptions, including private vaccinations. Here, Helene Irvine, nurse adviser, and Michelle Lombardi, primary care director, both at Wessex Local Medical Committees, look at the scheme and aim to clarify the finer details on who and what is covered, and what, if any, extra indemnity nurses and healthcare assistants (HCAs) must obtain to ensure that their work is fully covered.

06 September 2024

The national influenza vaccination programme of the United Kingdom is highly successful, changeable and progressive and can feel relentless in its delivery. When the national flu immunisation programme plan for 2024 to 2025 (as known as ‘the annual letter’) was published on 12th March 2024, initially it seemed that this year would have very few changes to the programme, when compared to those of the last few years (UK Health Security Agency [UKHSA], 2024). However, since then there have been two versions of a statement of amendment, the second due to loss of a valuable vaccine type (UKHSA, 2024), and a pertinent letter from NHS England concerning the start dates for the programme (NHS England, 2024). These changes should not be a surprise to any immuniser, especially those who have been involved in the flu vaccination programmes in previous years. Changes often happen in the lead up to, and even after, the start of the
programme. Our national immunisation programmes (NIPs) are never static for long. They are changeable due to such things as changing epidemiology, differing vaccine types or supply, new evidence, national advice or recommendations being implemented and shared with the field regularly.

01 October 2019

Influenza is an important vaccine preventable infection, which is an annual global health threat. Huge advances have been made in our knowledge of the influenza virus and as a consequence the ability to produce more effective influenza vaccines. In the last few years, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has considered newly licensed influenza vaccines for use in the UK population. The UK now has a differentiated influenza immunisation programme with different vaccines being advised for different risk groups. Currently, the various vaccines are differentiated by age, but in the future may also be differentiated by risk group. General practice nurses (GPNs) need to understand how these various influenza vaccines differ, what are their advantages in terms of the increased protection they offer to patients, and, in turn, be able to explain these advantages to patients.