FEATURE ARTICLES

The increasing number of people living with heart disease has highlighted the requirement for specialist heart nurses to offer much needed support. CSJ reports on the work of British Heart Foundation (BHF) nurses, and looks at a day in the life of a heart nurse.

In the May issue of The Clinical Services Journal, Judy Hargadon and Jackie Younger outlined how role redesign and new ways of working can result in benefits for patients and clinical services. In this complementary article, CHRIS WINTLE, lead workforce designer for emergency care with the Modernisation Agency, discusses in detail the role of the emergency care practitioner.

One in 10 NHS patients are said to be involved in some type of adverse incident or medical error – incorrect identification of patients plays a part and The Clinical Services Journal reports from a recent meeting which aimed to help ensure that those being cared for are correctly identified at all times.

CHRIS EARL BA(Hons) RGN, nurse surgical practitioner, Renal Transplant Unit, Manchester Royal Infirmary, describes the rationale behind the creation of his highly specialised role.

Analysis by MARION TAYLOR RGN Dip.N BEd (Hons), senior lecturer in mentorship and resuscitation at Middlesex University.

Improvements in the diagnosis, treatment and long-term monitoring of people with coeliac disease were called for at a recent conference which brought over 300 patients, researchers and healthcare workers together under one roof. JASON RAYFIELD reports.

TONY BURNETT, partner at diversity consultancy Performance Through Inclusion, explains how diversity training can help the NHS tackle many of its issues relating to health inequalities.

The first prize in the Oxoid Infection Control Team of the Year Awards has recently been awarded to Kingston Hospital NHS Trust. Here PAT CATTINI, clinical nurse specialist infection control, reports on the work of the team and what contributed to its success.

The importance of developing a supporting infrastructure to facilitate the growth of digital imaging in healthcare is discussed by DOUG BARNES, managing director of Planar Europe.

JOHN BEESLEY BA RGN NEBOSH, Advanced Scrub Practitioner, explores the modern definition of the ASP role and the competencies required. He also reviews guidance for practitioners working in the dual ASP and Surgical Care Practitioner role and the employer’s responsibilities for ensuring this role is managed effectively to prevent any risk to patients.

The infection prevention and control issues driving this year’s Infection Control Nurses Association (ICNA) Conference and Exhibition are set out by CLAIRE KILPATRICK, nurse consultant infection control, Health Protection Scotland.

The Chief Executive’s Report to the NHS, delivered halfway through implementation of the NHS Plan and immediately after the recent General Election, serves to re-focus attention on key healthcare issues after months of political rhetoric and mud-slinging. Jason Rayfield reports.

June Denny, theatre sister at Thames Valley Nuffield Hospital in Buckinghamshire, describes Photoselective Vaporisation of the Prostate (PVP) – an emerging treatment for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).

Tristel reports on the experiences of Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust during its transition from glutaraldehyde to the introduction of chlorine dioxide products for endoscope decontamination.

The importance of accurate temperature measurement and interpretation is examined by Dr Matthew J. Thompson, clinical lecturer in the Department of Primary Health Care, University of Oxford and a General Practitioner in Oxford. This article is based on a presentation given at the 2004 Welch Allyn “Completing the Picture” meeting.

Joan Gray RGN, director of clinical education at Sterilox Technologies International, calls for widespread formal training in endoscope reprocessing for nurses and healthcare workers.

Peter Jones, centralised in vitro diagnostics market manager at Roche Diagnostics, reports on the role of robotic sample processing in the modernisation of pathology services at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

The drivers for change in the options open to clinicians looking to develop their vocational skills – with a particular focus on renal care – are explored by David Coorey, managing director of Gambro Hospal.

The Clinical Services Journal reports on “Wipe It Out”, a new campaign by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Kimberly-Clark that aims to provide healthcare staff, employers, patients and visitors with resources to promote better and safer practice around MRSA and healthcare associated infections (HCAIs).

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS, independent operating theatre consultant and technical editor of The Clinical Services Journal, reports from the 23rd Quadrennial Congress of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), that took place in May 2005 in Taiwan.