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District nursing services are relentless in adapting to change and continuously seek different methods to improve the care they offer to service users. One of the relatively new changes where adaptation has been necessary is the use of digital devices to record assessments and work in real time. As documented in The NHS Long Term Plan (NHS) (2019), the NHS is being required to grow into the new digital age and, subsequently, district nurses (DNs) have needed to embrace the use of a paper-lite system. Although beneficial overall, the use of technology is a threat to the person-centred nursing approach used in assessment, which is the highest fundamental value in nursing. This article will seek to conceptualise the importance of a person-centred initial assessment with a service user who has either a long-term and/or a lifelong condition whilst considering the use of digital devices, benefits, and drawbacks of their use. It will emphasise the role of the DN, encompassing the multidisciplinary services throughout, whilst also considering any recommendations for further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In spite of ongoing UK Government recommendations for integrated health and social care, the implementation has been slow. While there are pockets of integration happening across England, many services remain isolated and fragmented. Aim: This review aims to critically review existing evidence to identify if there are any factors enabling successful implementation of integrated health and social care for people with long-term conditions in the community. Method: A review was conducted following the principles of a systematic review. Relevant data was extracted from the identified papers and the papers were quality appraised. Results: A total of seven studies were included in the review. Data analysis and synthesis identified a number of themes in relation to enablers of integrated care, including co-location of teams, communication, integrated organisations, management and leadership, capacity and resources, and information technology. Conclusion: There is a limited amount of evidence regarding integrated health and social care teams. Although there are some consistencies within the findings, further research is needed to enhance the validity of the body of evidence available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, tackling loneliness has become the focus of increased scholarly debate, social intervention and the development of international policy. One response to the 'epidemic of loneliness' has been the development of the compassionate communities model. The diversity of compassionate communities approaches has led to scholars such as Allan Kellehear (2005; 2017) to highlight a lack of a cohesive underpinning theory to support and drive policy development. In this paper, we propose the use of 'collective memory' as a novel approach to linking loneliness, memory and identity in a way that draws out conceptual links between the role compassionate communities play in tackling social isolation and loneliness. We suggest that the service-led approach that seeks to identify and transpose strategies from one community to another is ineffective; instead, we emphasise the need to develop bespoke community-centred models that can be used by community nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is a common long-term condition affecting many people many of whom require support with their insulin injections at home. These injections are often carried out by community nurses if individuals are unable to self-manage their condition. This paper describes a pilot project where health care support workers were trained to administer insulin at home for suitable patients. Four patients took part in the pilot study and two support workers were trained to give the insulin injections. The project was evaluated well by all those who took part. It freed up 80 hours of nursing time while also providing the support workers with an extended scope of practice and associated increased in job satisfaction. No untoward medication errors were reported as a result of this initiative. This project will now be rolled out to the wider nursing teams with a staggered approach to the delivery of the training to ensure there is not a detrimental effect on patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination is an important public health intervention, but its effectiveness depends upon the uptake of vaccination reaching sufficient levels to yield 'herd' immunity. While the majority of the UK hold positive attitudes about vaccination, some people, including health professionals, decline vaccinations. This article reviews the evidence relating to vaccine hesitancy, its underlying factors and the sociodemographic variations. A second article will review the evidence relating to strategies to address vaccine hesitancy and promote vaccination acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart failure is an important problem in Swedish primary healthcare as in the UK. In spite of that little is known about how people with heart failure experience support from primary healthcare. This paper investigates how people with heart failure experience support in primary healthcare. Semi structured interviews were conducted with five men and five women, born 1922-1951. The interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis in accordance with Graneheim and Lundman (2004). The participants experienced they had not received information about their diagnosis or about the cause of their condition. They had not been informed they had heart failure. Instead the participants believed their symptoms were caused by age, thus being part of normal ageing. They did not experience they needed care or support to cope with illness or disease. Instead their main needs for support in daily life concerned help with practical matters.There is a risk primary healthcare abandons people with heart failure meaning the patients are forced to develop strategies on their own in order to manage symptoms. When inadequately informed there is also a risk they make up their own explanations signifying possible difficulties to handle their health situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This UK-based empirical research investigates interprofessionalism and personalization to assess their potential to achieve quality care provision for people with long-term conditions. Governmental policies extol the virtues of interprofessionalism and personalization to drive modernization forward, however, change requires the commitment of health and social care professionals. Therefore the complexity of turning policy into practice requires continual review to ensure policy ideals become practice realities rather than speculative rhetoric. This paper examines interprofessional working (IPW) and interprofessional education (IPE) by analysing the experiences and working relationships of professionals from different professions and their potential impact upon personalization initiatives. The conclusion argues that educational providers and professional awarding bodies need to enshrine interprofessionalism into curricula and qualification accreditation thereby instilling collaboration intrinsically into care provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile devices allow clinicians to access electronic clinical systems away from traditional base locations. They have contributed to increased productivity and efficiency, and clinical staff also cite benefits to patient care. A selection of NHS trusts have participated in a national pilot to explore the benefits and drawbacks of this technology. Clinical engagement with frontline staff is essential to ensure the staff feel valued, listened to, and fully involved to ensure any change to existing practice is successful. Moreover, the training needs of the workforce require careful consideration. The provision of information technology (IT) support services is fundamental to ensure that staff receive the necessary assistance with any functionality issues they may experience with mobile devices to minimise the effect on clinical practice. Variability in internet connectivity may present as a challenge to clinical staff, and the benefits of complimentary offline working solutions should be considered. Barriers to the successful use of mobile devices should be reported as this may have a negative clinical effect on the safe delivery of patient care. Clinical staff need to be mindful of their obligations in relation to information governance, and should appreciate that the same consideration needs to be given to both paper and electronic records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on loss, grief and the meaning people attach to their circumstances. Topics covered include strategies for coping with collective loss, evidence of people going through grief since the introduction of the lockdown in Great Britain, and the role of modern technology and social media in keeping people connected.

In the article, the author discusses the start of a vaccination programme in Great Britain to eliminate the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the various vaccines used in the initiative as of February 2021. Also cited are the measures used to control the pandemic like travel restrictions and social lockdowns, and the approved vaccines from AstraZeneca and Pfizer BioNTech.

Information about health is gained from various sources but little is known about the health information-seeking behaviours of older people and what factors affect this. This pilot study aimed to explore older people's experiences and views on their health information-seeking behaviours and to gain a better understanding of these. A qualitative study with nine older people was undertaken, using diaries and semi-structured interviews to gather data. Three key themes emerged relating to why they sought information, what shaped this and where health information was accessed. This study is generating new knowledge of older people's experiences and views on their health information-seeking behaviour. By understanding these, community nurses will be better placed to promote strategies that improve older people's access to appropriate health information and support its effective use. INSET: Table 2. Instructions for filling out the diary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a qualitative study that set out first to explore the challenges facing recently qualified nurses working in community and intermediate healthcare settings, and their perceptions of role and professional identity, and then to propose effective support structures. Data were gathered using individual interviews which were recorded, transcribed and analysed through categorization using four key themes: transition work; new learning; support and supervision; professional identity and integration. It was concluded that transition can be challenging and stressful but, despite the level of independent working in the community, participants can be helped to develop resilience by a supportive environment in which their developmental needs are identified and met. Recommendations are made concerning the need for a more structured and planned approach to induction and preceptorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses ways nurses can prevent inequality in medical care in Great Britain, focusing mainly on methods of ensuring equal care among patients from racial and ethnic minority groups. She emphasizes the care of Gypsies and Travellers, the role of cultural competence in nursing, and suggests that nurses can improve the experiences of ethnic minorities by focusing on attitude, behavior, and communication.