One year ago nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland took part in historic strike action, many for the first time.Some of the biggest hospitals across the UK saw nurses walk out in their fight for better pay and working conditions, as well as concerns over unsafe staffing levels and patient safety.In this Nursing Standard podcast episode RCN chief nurse Nicola Ranger joins senior reporter Shruti Sheth Trivedi to talk about the significance of nurses taking industrial action, whether things have changed for the profession a year on, and her experience of visiting hospitals while nurses were on picket lines.Ms Ranger makes it clear the strikes were not just about pay but also about patient safety and the future of the NHS. For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is a situation all too familiar for many nurses, menopause symptoms becoming so overwhelming they make continuing to work a challenge.When Wendy Madden, nurse lead for menopause at University Hospitals Birmingham, began experiencing menopause symptoms they almost forced her to quit the job she loved.The fatigue, being unable to sleep, hot flushes and anxiety shattered her confidence at work.‘It started making me lose my confidence, I didn’t feel I was able to do my job as effectively as I was before. I came into work one day and looked at the building I worked in and thought “I don’t want to be here”,’ she said.In this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast Ms Madden tells news editor Andrea Downey about her experience of the menopause and how it led her to helping others.Ms Madden’s experience highlighted a lack of support for staff going through the menopause and spurred an idea for a ‘menopause passport’ to make conversations with managers easier.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When author and poet laureate Michael Rosen contracted COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic he was put into an induced coma and told he had just a 50% chance of waking up. For 40 days the author lay ventilated and unconscious at Whittington Hospital in North London. Meanwhile his nurses working in the Intensive Care Unit kept detailed daily diaries of his progress, often sharing personal details of their own pandemic journeys and encouraging him on to ‘keep fighting’ as he battled for his life. Following his long recovery, Mr Rosen collected the diary entries to create a heartwarming book ‘Many Different Kinds of Love: A story of life, death and the NHS,’ about his experience, which gives a glimpse into the NHS on the frontline during that turbulent time. On 10 November Mr Rosen attended RCNi’s inaugural Nursing Live to read extracts from the book. Ahead of his talk he joined senior reporter Alison Stacey to record this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast. Here he tells the story of his near-death experience with COVID-19, along with his unwavering support for nurses during the historical strikes announced one year ago.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone deserves care that works for them at the end of their lives, and there is only one chance to get it right.  But charity Marie Curie has warned that for many people from diverse communities this is often not the case. In this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, journalist Erin Dean talks to Rekha Vijayshankar, a research and clinical nurse, and Rini Jones, senior policy and research manager for equity and equality, from charity Marie Curie. They discuss the complex inequities in end-of-life care that contribute to patients experiencing poor access and quality of care.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Half the UK population has chronic pain, making nurses increasingly likely to encounter patients living with it.So, what skills do nurses need to employ to understand how pain impacts an individual’s life and assess what physical and mental health support they may need?This episode of the podcast explores the management of both acute and chronic pain with three experts in the field.Guest podcast host Martin Galligan, lecturer practitioner and programme lead of advanced clinical practice in cancer care at The Royal Marsden, interviews fellow pain specialists nurse consultants Felicia Cox and Karin Cannon.They discuss the importance of recognising pain as being what the individual describes it to be and the use of functional pain assessments to determine what the patient wants and needs, including psychological peace, to help manage their condition.The trio also talk about using motivational interviewing skills to support people with pain and acknowledging the sense of loss that patients may experience in coming to terms with chronic pain.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the Lucy Letby case it is more important than ever to address the challenges nurses and other healthcare staff face when raising concerns.October marks Speak Up month for the NHS, a campaign run by the National Guardian’s Office (NGO. This year’s theme is ‘breaking barriers’, which focuses on removing the obstacles people feel prevent them from raising concerns at work.Speaking up is the subject of this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast. National guardian for freedom to speak up in the NHS in England and registered nurse Jayne Chidgey-Clark addresses some of the challenges nurses face when deciding to raise concerns, particular barriers faced by international nurses, and what the NGO and NHS are doing to try and mitigate these.Ms Chidgey-Clark discusses whether a national policy could have an impact on staff feeling more comfortable in raising concerns. She also touches on her role as the national guardian and talks about the importance of nurses feeling like they have a voice and fostering a speaking up culture.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is a litigation nurse and what is their role in addressing the complaints and concerns of patients and service users?   What specific nursing skills can a litigation nurse bring to the legal team to meet client needs?   The latest Nursing Standard podcast explores the role of a litigation nurse and, based upon this type of work, how nurses can reflect upon their own practice in areas such as record keeping and communication.   In this episode we hear from litigation nurse Matthew Brown who works with a team of solicitors in Manchester, bringing his nursing skills into the legal arena.  Mr Brown talks to RCNi senior nurse editor Richard Hatchett about his role, his day-to-day work, the advice he gives in relation to negligence claims and how he prepared for the role. For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Severely exhausted, feeling cynical or struggling emotionally? You could be burned out by your job.Studies show that 25-50% of nurses are experiencing burnout in some work settings, which can impact on patient safety. It is also linked to increased staff absences and a large driver of nurses leaving their jobs or the profession entirely. But how can you spot the warning signs, and can you stop burn out? This episode of the Nursing Standard podcast looks at aggravating factors of burnout among nurses, how to recognise early signs and the impact of working long shifts. Our guest is University of Southampton’s nursing workforce lecturer Dr Chiara Dall’Ora who has carried out several studies on burnout within the nursing workforce. She talks to senior reporter Alison Stacey about the findings of her latest study and the link between burnout and working 12-hour shifts, as well as tips and strategies for managers on how to make the work environment more positive.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A rolling of the eyes, talking over you, or plain rudeness- we might all have a colleague who behaves in an uncivil way. But should you do anything about it, or just ignore it?Incivility at work can take many different guises and can leave people feeling dejected, unmotivated and unfairly treated. This episode of the Nursing Standard podcast looks at how to deal with incivility in the workplace, and why in a healthcare setting its impact can mean life or death. Our guest is consultant in emergency medicine Dr Chris Turner who founded Civility Saves Lives, a group that works to raise awareness about the importance of being civil when working in healthcare. Dr Turner tells senior reporter Alison Stacey how to recognise incivility - both in yourself and others. He also explains the best time to approach a conversation about incivility, how to have the conversation and who should be doing it. For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you use early warning scores to optimum effect when assessing the deteriorating patient?When should you refer a person in your care to a more senior member of the team, and in what circumstances must you immediately escalate a case?The latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast discusses these issues as we explore early warning scores. Tools such as the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) help nurses and other healthcare professionals to assess when a patient’s condition is worsening following a structured and prioritised approach, such as airway, breathing, circulation, disability and exposure (ABCDE) and whose scores indicate what action to take.This episode hears from Cardiff University senior lecturer in adult nursing Andy Parry, who has a background in critical care and anaesthetics and regularly teaches early warning scores.Mr Parry talks to interviewer RCNi senior nurse editor Richard Hatchett about what the different scales of the early warning scores mean and the importance of a thorough assessment. The pair also discuss why respiratory rate is a sensitive indicator of deterioration, and how it can pick up signs of possible impending cardiac arrest sooner than alterations in blood pressure. https://rcni.com/rcniplus/topics/early-warning-scores https://journals.rcni.com/nursing-standard/evidence-and-practice/effective-handovers-on-escalation-of-care-for-the-deteriorating-patient-ns.2023.e12078/print/abs https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/features/what-abcde-and-why-it-important-162311 https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/students/nursing-studies/what-news2-and-how-can-it-help-prevent-cardiac-arrest-195531For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.