01 September 2021

Understanding commonly used drugs and their interactions is vital for the safety of patients and the efficacy of these medicines. Non-prescribers and prescribers alike need to be aware when to query and/or stop medications if the patient is unwell and why this needs to be done. Although stopping and restarting a medication may seem daunting and possibly confusing for patients and clinicians alike, there must be awareness around the medications that can cause problems in the very sick patient. There are many resources available for general practice nurses (GPNs) to check. This article gives a brief summary of some of the most common pitfalls and how to avoid these with useful resources at the end.

11 September 2023

Prescribing by a variety of professionals continues its progression in response to the growing demands for health care. Prescribing by nurses was initiated in the 1990s and supported by the National Prescribing Centre’s ‘prescribing pyramid’ or seven steps or principles for good prescribing (NPC, 1999). This article explores a new prescribing consultation model (RAPID-CASE), which is composed of elements from the prescribing pyramid and the Competency Framework for all prescribers (Royal Pharmaceutical Society [RPS], 2021). The RAPID-CASE consultation model is applied to a clinical scenario to illustrate how it can guide a systematic approach to decision-making, using the example of a lower limb skin tear injury.

29 May 2024

This article explores Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust’s (NHFT’s) innovative approach to addressing workforce challenges in the healthcare sector through apprenticeships and T-levels. NHFT offers various apprenticeship opportunities, ranging from entry-level healthcare support roles to pre-registration and post-registration nursing across different specialties. The article also looks at NHFT’s collaborations with local educational institutions and primary care training hubs to provide pathways for individuals who transitioned from different careers into nursing through apprenticeships. Additionally, the introduction of T-levels offers younger people practical experience in health care alongside classroom learning, opening pathways into nursing careers. The benefits of apprenticeships in providing financial support, practical experience, and career progression are highlighted. Overall, these alternative pathways play a crucial role in developing and retaining local healthcare professionals, addressing workforce challenges and reducing reliance on international recruitment.

06 July 2016

While multilayer compression bandaging has traditionally been seen as gold standard therapy for venous leg ulcers, success of treatment depends on the competency of the nurse applying the bandages and patient concordance (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network [SIGN], 2010). Furthermore, wearing compression is a lifelong commitment as, following healing, it is still needed to prevent ulcer recurrence and skin breakdown.

During this maintenance phase, compression hosiery is usually prescsrbed (Nelson and Bell-Syer, 2012). However, som patients also find it difficult to concord with compression hosiery  (Jull et al, 2004). juxtalite (medi UK) is an alternative maintenance system for those patients who cannot tolerate or apply compression garments.

22 September 2015

Practice matters: In each issue of the Journal of General Practice Nursing we investigate a hot topic currently affecting our readers. Here, Binkie Mais looks at patient participation groups (PPGs) and asks the question...Are clinicians taking patient involvement seriously enough?

12 December 2019

In each issue of the Journal of General Practice Nursing, we investigate a topic currently affecting our readers. With more and more patients being seen with complex wounds in primary care, here we consider Are we asking GPNs to become wound care experts?

06 April 2020

Malnutrition is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly as the disease progresses. This article looks at the nutritional issues facing patients with COPD, including the effects of medication, social and psychological issues. It outlines the role that general practice nurses (GPNs) can play by implementing the newly updated ‘Managing Malnutrition in COPD’ guidance. The guidance encourages incorporation of nutritional screening into COPD care pathways and the optimisation of nutritional intake for those at medium and high risk of malnutrition via dietary advice and oral nutritional supplementation, where appropriate. It also provides practical tips for patients with COPD to help manage common barriers to eating, such as shortness of breath, dry mouth and taste changes.

09 July 2015

With the Government looking to cut costs across the healthcare landscape, nurses may wonder how they can help procurement secure the savings needed — identifying comparable but cheaper treatment options is one such way.

06 July 2016

The State of the Nation report published in 2015 makes a case for prioritising the prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D) (Diabetes UK, 2015). This report identified T2D as a major challenge fo the NHS which uses a significant proportion of NHS resources - almost 10% of total NHS spending, in fact - yet the Word Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that  over three quarters of T2D is preventable (WHO, 2005). Thus, the prevention of diabetes needs to be a priority for the NHS (Diabetes UK, 2015), and it makes sense that general practice nurses a priority for the NHS (Diabetes UK, 2015), and it makes sense that general practice nurses (GPNs) should be at the forefront of this strategy. 

16 November 2015

This feature asks experts in their particular field to take a look at a therapy area and examine some of the challenges that general practice nurses (GPNs) may face. In this issue, we look at how best to prepare the wound bed for healing...

How can desloughing a wound aid the patient experience?

This piece was sponsored by an educational grant from Urgo Medical.