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This article describes a qualitative research study using focus groups to explore the views and experiences of a medicines management team (MMT) on the service they deliver within a ‘Virtual Ward’ (VW); and those of the wider multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals on the service provided by MMT. Several themes emerged from the focus groups, including impact on patients and carers, team working and issues and challenges. A dedicated medicines management team was seen as a positive contribution to the VW, which potentially increased the quality of patient care,and appeared to be a positive experience for both the MM and wider multidisciplinary teams.

Respiratory nurses make a significant contribution to the delivery of respiratory healthcare, but there is a dearth of nurse-led, practice-focused, published research. Using a modified three-round Delphi, this study sought to identify research priorities for respiratory nursing to inform a national research strategy. Study information and the survey link were sent electronically to members of UK professional respiratory organisations. Round 1 had 78 items across 16 topics, informed by a systematic literature review. Respondents suggested additional items which were content analysed to inform Round 2. Respondents rated all items and ranked the topics in all rounds. To ensure rigour, rounds had an explicit focus with pre-determined criteria for consensus (70%). In total, 363 responses were received across Rounds 1, 2 and 3 (n=183, 95 and 85, respectively). The top five research priorities were: 1) “Patient understanding of asthma control”; 2) “The clinical and cost-effectiveness of respiratory nurse interventions”; 3) “The impact of nurse-led clinics on patient care”; 4) “Inhaler technique”; and 5) two topics jointly scored: “Prevention of exacerbations” and “Symptom management”. With potential international significance, this is the first UK study to identify research priorities for respiratory nursing, providing direction for those planning or undertaking research.

Aim: The aim of this study was to seek views of UK children's and adult hospices on the availability and challenges of providing services for young adults with life-limiting conditions. Background: Internationally, there are a growing number of young adults with life-limiting conditions and/or complex needs which are degenerative, progressive and diverse and involve complex life-long symptom, medication management as well as palliative care. There are 55,721 young adults, aged 18–40 in England, which continues to increase. The hospice sector is experiencing demands to extend services for this population despite concerns about the appropriateness of adult hospices and their nursing staff to provide care for the complex and unfamiliar conditions of this patient group. Evidence is needed of hospices’ views and the main challenges faced providing services for young adults. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional survey. Methods: xChildren and adult hospices completed an online survey exploring service provision and their views of respite care for young adults with life-limiting conditions from 18 years old and onward. Data were collected between October 2015 - February 2016. Findings: Respondents (N = 76 hospices) reported that children's hospices predominantly provided short breaks and end-of-life care; adult hospices provided mainly symptom management, end-of-life care and day services. Main challenges were lack of existing adult respite services; lack of funding and capacity; lack of a skilled workforce in adult hospices; and the need for better integrated service provision. Conclusion: Examples of good collaborative working were reported. With an increasing population of young adults and pressure on families, it is vital that services work together to find sustainable solutions to the challenges.

Aims and objectives To investigate the impact and sustainability of the Care Maker programme across England from the perspective of those involved in its delivery. Background The Care Maker programme was launched in England in 2013. It aims to support the “Compassion in Practice” strategy, with particular emphasis on the 6Cs of care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. Care Makers were recruited in an ambassadorial role. The intention was to inspire individuals throughout the National Health Service in England to bridge national policy with those delivering care. Design A mixed methods design was chosen, but this article focuses on two of the four distinct empirical data collection phases undertaken as part of this evaluation: a questionnaire with Care Makers; and two case studies of separate National Health Service trust sites. Method Data were collected for this evaluation in 2015. An online questionnaire was distributed to the total population of Care Makers across the National Health Service in England. It included a combination of open and closed questions. The case studies involved semistructured telephone interviews with a range of professionals engaged with the Care Maker programme across the trust sites. Results Care Makers reported that participation in the programme had offered opportunities in terms of improving the quality‐of‐care provision in the workplace as well as contributing towards their own professional development. Conclusion The Care Maker programme has supported and helped underpin the nursing, midwifery and care strategy “Compassion in Practice”. Relevance to clinical practice This model of using volunteers to embed strategy and policy could potentially be used in other areas of clinical practice and indeed in other countries.

A small follow-up study of participants’ perceptions of the impact of a residential management course on their subsequent practice is described. Participants found the course to be beneficial with respect to immediate learning, improving confidence and having a positive influence on their working practices. Opportunities to learn about the topics covered on the course would be beneficial for all senior neonatal trainees prior to them becoming consultants.

Aim To explore the impact of the National Health Service England’s Open and Honest Care Programme on patient safety, patient and staff experience and improvement practices within acute National Health Service settings. Background The Open and Honest Care Programme forms a key tenet of the Nursing Midwifery and Care Staff Strategy launched by the Department of Health in England and Wales in 2012. Methods An electronic survey (n = 387) was administered to National Health Service staff. Semi-structured telephone interviews (n = 13) were conducted with senior nurses and ward managers. Results Over 70% of the survey respondents agreed that the programme increased transparency with the public about the quality of care, helped the working experience of National Health Service staff and improved patient safety respectively. Interviews revealed the Open and Honest Care Programme had enabled National Health Service staff to appraise the effectiveness of their improvement efforts. Conclusion The Open and Honest Care Programme could be an important part of the National Health Service Improvement Strategy. The collection of metric and nar- rative information highlighted where patient-centred improvements were required, facilitating the targeting and development of specific interventions or resources. Implications for nursing management The results indicate that the programme may assist managers to identify areas for improvement and that programmes such as this deserve consideration by health-care management globally.

Family carers of people with motor neurone disease face many challenges pre and post-bereavement, with support needs not routinely assessed and little attention focused on recognising abnormal grief responses. Our survey (n=56) sought the views of those involved in the care of this population in England on bereavement support and Prolonged Grief Disorder. Results revealed over two-thirds of respondents felt unable to predict future cases of Prolonged Grief Disorder and that an alert tool to help identify carers of people with motor neurone disease at risk would be welcomed. Implications for future research and development of support are discussed.

An evaluation via mixed methods - survey and interviews - of the NHS Care Makers/Compassionate Care programme.

Conference Poster Exploring the experience of pre and post- bereavement support in carers of those living with terminal illness: a small scale, mixed methods study

This paper presents qualitative findings from a mixed methods study of four one-day-a-week therapeutic communities (TCs) in the north of England for people with personality disorder. Quantitative findings from the study are presented separately.

Quantitative findings are presented from a mixed methods study of four one-day-a-week therapeutic communities for people with personality disorder (qualitative findings from the same study are reported in a separate paper). The evaluation assessed both the clinical efficacy of the model and its acceptability to service users, service employees and those who refer clients to the services.

Zubairu, K., Christiansen, A., Kirkcaldy, A., Kirton, J. A., Kelly, C., Simpson, P., ... Brown, J. (2017). An evaluation of national health service's (NHS) care maker programme: A mixed methods analysis. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(23-24), 4634-4645. Available here

Christiansen, A., Barnes, T., ;Bewley, T., Kaehne, A., Lynes, D., Kirkcaldy, A. (2016). An evaluation of the Open and Honest Care Programme in acute NHS trusts in Northern England. Journal of Nursing Management, 24(6), 755-765. Available here.