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Nurses have a duty to promote the values of equality and diversity during their interactions with patients and their families and carers, as well as peers and colleagues. This article defines the terms equality, diversity and inclusion, and explains the importance of the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998 in protecting people from various types of discrimination. It also outlines nurses' responsibilities in promoting equality and diversity by treating all patients and colleagues with respect and dignity, providing compassionate leadership, and practising in accordance with the ethical principle of justice. The article encourages and empowers nurses to recognise and challenge discrimination wherever they see it, thereby delivering high-quality care to all patients.

Leadership theory is a crucial aspect of nursing and the focus of a large body of literature. However, it remains a challenging concept to define and has been subject to various interpretations. Much of the literature on leadership is contradictory, with some studies claiming particular leadership styles are more effective than others. This article discusses the benefits and limitations of one approach to leadership - transactional leadership - and considers its use in nursing practice. The author suggests that transactional leadership remains useful as an approach to meeting short-term goals and completing tasks, but that it should be combined with other leadership styles to maximise its effectiveness in healthcare settings.

RATIONALE AND KEY POINTS Conference posters can be used by nurses to disseminate the findings of studies, audits or service improvement projects. Despite the lack of robust evidence on what an optimal poster should include, the literature contains several sources of useful information on the topic. A conference poster requires thorough and systematic preparation; authors will need to determine what message they want to convey, what the aim of their poster is, and how they will ensure precision, clarity, brevity and visual appeal. This article provides a step-by-step guide to assist nurses in developing optimal poster content and design, and in delivering effective poster presentations. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: 'How to' articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of.

When the full story of the COVID-19 pandemic comes to be told, the courage of nursing and medical staff in the face of massive pressures will be a stand-out feature.

The past 18 months have been challenging and difficult for healthcare staff everywhere, with the pandemic forcing nurses at all levels to work in unfamiliar environments and in different roles.

Antimicrobial resistance is a significant public health issue and a major threat to global health. The solutions are multifactorial, and include: a reduction in the unnecessary use of antibiotics; public health campaigns; the use of systems approaches by healthcare organisations; and involving the knowledge and responsibilities of individual nurses. This article examines the challenge of antimicrobial resistance and explores the concept of antimicrobial stewardship in addressing this issue. It also discusses how nurses can contribute to a systems approach in primary and secondary care to support antimicrobial stewardship initiatives.

This article aims to define organisational culture and explain why it is important to patients, carers and those working in healthcare environments. Organisational culture is not a new concept and the literature on the subject is well-established. However, because of the changing dynamics of the NHS, there has been a shift away from 'what' the NHS stands for, often relating to its history and rituals, to 'who' it functions for, including how healthcare professionals such as nurses can develop and drive the organisational culture. The article seeks to assist nurses in understanding the role of organisational culture, as well as implementing its main principles in the workplace. [Abstract copyright: ©2018 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.]

The way we educate nursing students in the UK has changed dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

With the COVID-19 vaccine programme well under way, and the prospect of all UK adults being offered their first vaccination by the end of July, the collective hope of the nation is rising.

With COVID-19 vaccinations progressing and the UK reopening, it is tempting to focus on the future – but as we emerge from lockdown it is vital we reflect on the past year and the lessons we can learn.

Nursing may be a largely female profession, but men are vastly overrepresented in senior positions. Experts say the NHS has to take action to correct the huge gender imbalance - and female nurses need to learn how to help themselves.

Nursing student Rhiannon Owen was at a cash machine in a busy area of London on a Saturday night when a taxi swerved towards her and the driver screamed at her to run. Looking up, she saw a man three metres away holding a knife with a 12-inch blade.

January [Figure: see text] Thousands of people marched on Downing Street in protest against Whitehall plans to scrap nursing students' bursaries and replace them with loans. Anger against the government continued as the Department of Health argued that annual pay rises for NHS nurses in England should be capped at 1%. Many nurses pledged support for their medical colleagues as junior doctors went on the first of several unprecedented strikes over pay and conditions.

Since 2001 military nurses have successfully supported military operations in deployed field hospitals in both Iraq and Afghanistan. These deployments have presented unique challenges for military nurses. This article reviews the literature on the experience of nurses during these deployments and, using a thematic analysis approach, aims to understand their experience. The results provide an insight into the lives of military nurses who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and highlight some of the coping strategies adopted by nurses in conflict situations. The discussion outlines the key themes and, using excerpts from the literature, explores the challenges and coping strategies used.

Aim To determine whether communication networks exist in a diverse and competitively selected cohort of nurse leaders, and to identify variables that explain any patterns of connection. Method Twenty seven nurse leaders completed a form to ascertain the presence and strength of communication between participants. Data were analysed using social network analysis, generating a visualisation of the network and associated quantitative measures. Results Participants were poorly connected. Those connections that did exist centred on geographic proximity and participation in regional and global bodies. Conclusion These results help improve understanding of how nurse leaders are connected internationally, and prompt inquiry in to how connections might be strengthened.

Building an environment where nurses and midwives feel empowered and valued is key to the strategy of many nursing directors, but this can sometimes be a challenge. Signing up to a recognised and evidenced programme can help organisations achieve the progress they are looking for, and is a way of recognising what they have achieved.

Defence nurses form the largest registered specialty in the UK defence medical services. Once qualified, defence nurses maintain and develop their nursing and clinical skills in appropriate healthcare settings, and can be deployed in operational environments such as Afghanistan. Workforce planning and staffing establishment levels are defined to meet the needs of British armed forces, allies and, potentially, local populations. Since the workforce is geographically dispersed, deployed or undertaking non-clinical duties, there are constraints on nurses' attempts to maintain basic skills and access continuing professional development. This article explores the concept and the developing role of defence nurse lecturers in improving educational support for defence nurses.

The breaking of bad news was traditionally regarded to be the time when a doctor and nurse sat down with a patient and family members to provide information about, for example, a life-limiting diagnosis or a poor prognosis. However, breaking bad news is now generally accepted as a process, not a one-off event, and is considered to refer to any bad, sad or difficult information that alters patients' perceptions of their present and future. Nurses have an important role in the process of providing information and helping patients prepare for, receive, understand and cope with the bad news they have been given. This article aims to help nurses understand the process of breaking bad news and discuss the challenges and difficulties that nurses can face when they are involved with patients who have been given bad news. It also provides guidance with regard to preparing for breaking bad news, giving difficult information, responding to possible reactions, and supporting patients and their relatives after they have received bad news.

This article considers best practice in record-keeping and documentation in the light of recent public inquiries and reports, renewed national interest in record-keeping standards, and the challenge of moving from paper to electronic healthcare documentation and digital storage of data. The nature of the nurse-patient relationship is also changing, and should be reflected in nurses' record-keeping practices. Collaborative approaches to the planning and evaluation of care, and more emphasis on patients having a greater sense of ownership of information held about them should be reflected in nurses' and other healthcare professionals' attitudes and approaches to this aspect of practice.

the Francis into failures of care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust sent a shock wave through the NHS. A year after the final report was published, patient safety and quality of care are now higher priorities for trusts. But financial realities still hinder full implementation of the recommendations.

The first NHS Change Day in 2013, began with a Twitter conservation between clinicians. This year's March 3 event aims to attract 5000.000 pledges. The day harnesses individuals' passion for the NHS using voluntary commitments to implement (mostly) small, simple measures.

A huge revalidation pilot at Aneurin Bevan Health Board in Wales – more than 800 staff embarked on the process in February – has delivered important lessons for other organisations and individual registrants about what to expect when they begin the process.

This article examines how to develop confidence and competence in tailoring genetic/genomic information for different patients. The focus is on the issues that nurses working in a multicultural society need to be aware of, and include taking into account people's ethnicity, culture, religion and ethical perspectives, as well as their developmental stage.

Implementing change is a core element of developing healthcare practice. While planning the practical aspects of change is vital, so too is considering how people will perceive and be affected by an innovation, including what individuals and teams will gain or lose, who the opinion leaders will be and the influence of workplace culture. The aim of this article is to highlight some of the considerations that may be useful in planning successful change.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) individuals have particular vulnerabilities to sexually transmitted infections and HIV infection. Globally, reasons for this include physiological factors, discrimination and poor understanding of their sexual health needs. In many countries LGBT individuals are not able to exercise fully their rights to health care. This raises public health concerns for the LGBT community and the wider population. This article explores these issues, and makes recommendations for the healthcare profession to address health inequalities and promote improved health outcomes for LGBT populations. This article aims to promote an evidence-based approach that focuses on rights and public health issues.

Finally, your big day has come. As you wake up on 'interview day' you will likely feel a mixture of nervous anticipation and excitement. A new job can open doors to the next chapter in your life, so this is only natural, but first you must be offered the post.

The government's announcement that it will fund an extra 10,000 training places for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (AHPs) in England has taken the profession by surprise.

With Brexit, new roles and routes into nursing, changes to the student bursary in England, and draft standards for nursing education, there is a lot happening to affect nursing schools.

Think back to any change within your clinical environment that has had a direct impact on your role. It may have been limited to your ward or something that was implemented across the whole of your NHS trust. Now think of all the emotions linked to this change, both positive and negative.