New job title blurs boundaries and will confuse the public.

In response to the consultation on the introduction of a nursing associate role (News, February 3), I believe it is ill-advised to include the word 'nurse' in the title, because this necessitates the involvement of the nursing regulator, and will therefore incur costs.

Nurses in independent care homes: issues, challenges and potential.

Many registered nurses in the UK work in the social care sector in independent care homes and nursing homes. This article explores the challenges related to providing nursing care for adults in care homes, issues arising for nurses and nursing in the social care sector, and providing a career pathway for nurses in the social care sector. Steps need to be taken to ensure that cooperation, collaboration and leadership in nursing in the social care sector is recognised and that appropriate representation of nurses in social care takes place at national level.

A programme to reduce acquired pressure ulcers in care homes.

Prevention of pressure ulcers is a major health concern, especially for older people. Much of the literature related to prevention of pressure ulcers focuses on hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. There is less literature related to prevention of pressure ulcers in care homes.

'It's the hearing that is last to go': a case of traumatic head injury.

This article explores the literature related to acquired brain injury (ABI) and is followed by a case study of one patient with ABI, which reflects how the evidence, when implemented by a team of health professionals, can have a positive impact on recovery. Gregor is a middle-aged Polish man who suffered traumatic ABI when knocked down by a car. He spent a number of years in a specialist neurosurgical unit, then a rehabilitation unit, and for the past several years has been cared for in a care home.

Development and implementation of a Safeguarding Tracker Tool.

This article reports on the development and implementation of a Safeguarding Tracker Tool at one hospital that cares for vulnerable patients who are suffering from early onset dementia, Huntingdon's disease and alcohol-related brain injury. The tool was developed in association with the local multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH). The hospital has in place systems and processes for training staff in their safeguarding role and have developed a Safeguarding Tracker Tool to record individual safeguarding concerns, communicate with and involve all relevant people and agencies, investigate the concern and establish an action plan.

Safeguarding vulnerable adults.

This article explores some of the issues surrounding safeguarding vulnerable adults, examines some of the related legislation and literature, and outlines the responsibilities of those who care for this patient group. The article describes how one hospital that specialises in caring for people with early-onset dementia, Huntingdon's disease and alcohol-related brain injury who require additional support, has provided staff with appropriate evidence-based information about safeguarding adults.

Recruiting competent newly qualified nurses in the London region: An exploratory study.

Aim: This paper reports a study commissioned to address concerns that not all newly qualified nurses (NQNs) were perceived to be competent at the point of appointment to their first post. It seeks to understand how competence is interpreted in the context of selection and recruitment, and explore the different expectations and experiences of employing Trusts across the London region.

Background: Competence is a significant topic in nursing and there is much literature around the concept, what it means and how it relates to behaviours and values with no universally accepted definition.

Factors that enhance rates of completion: what makes students stay?

Background: This study was one of four projects commissioned by NHS London to examine the readiness for work of nurses upon completion of their pre-registration programmes. The study examined the factors that contribute to students completing their nursing programmes.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to explore understanding the factors that influence the attrition and completion rates of year 2 students on the adult field of a pre-registration nursing programme.

Personal health budgets: common myths and misconceptions.

Personal health budgets (PHBs) were introduced at 61 sites across England; 20 of which were evaluated in a report published in November 2012. There has been collective resistance to PHBs and negative reporting in the professional healthcare press. However, there is some early evidence that PHBs are proving to be successful.

Role of careers advisers in nurse recruitment.

The aim of the national Image of Nursing programme is to attract high calibre recruits to nursing. This article describes research into the role of careers advisers and how they perceive the image of 'nurses' and 'nursing'. It explores their professional profiles, perceptions and attitudes to nursing as a career, knowledge about the requirements and opportunities for entering nursing, and the resources used.

Safety Express: a strategic health authority's approach.

The Safety Express programme is a national workstream within the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme that is designed to improve health outcomes and quality care, as well as reduce costs associated with the following four patient harms: pressure ulcers, falls, urinary tract infections in patients with catheters and venous thromboembolism (VTE). NHS London developed a pilot project to implement Safety Express across London. This paper presents case studies of the outcomes of the Safety Express pilot in three locations in London.

Safeguarding children: the benefits of a peer-review process.

Nurses in hospitals and in the community are increasingly taking a leading role in safeguarding children. NHS London established a Safeguarding Improvement Team (SIT) in 2009. The SIT project was designed as a one-off activity to raise performance related to safeguarding children in London.

Preparing leaders for safeguarding children.

The purpose of child safeguarding is to identify children at risk of abuse or neglect and to reduce this risk. NHS trusts are required to have named and designated safeguarding children clinicians, who need strong leadership skills. This article presents the design and implementation of a leadership training programme developed for these professionals, and an evaluative research study of the programme.

Support for practitioners switching work environments mid-career.

Patterns of healthcare demand are changing, so services are increasingly being located in communities. Nurses and nurse managers must. therefore, prepare themselves for mid-career transitions into new roles or working environments.

Diversity, fulfilment and privilege: the image of nursing.

Aim: To explore the image that nurses have of nursing and the image of nursing held by the public to determine the difference between the two and the impact of this on nurse recruitment.

Background: Recruitment and retention nurses are important to the Strategic Health Authority for London (NHS London) who commissioned a study to explore the image of nursing.

Method: Qualitative survey research was used.