Changes and sticking points in adult safeguarding: a discussion.

The care and treatment of vulnerable adults was the subject of regular public and media concern in 2011. This article discusses the potential impact of these concerns on community nursing practice and reflects on the ways in which such concerns may be discussed in professional development activities. It alerts nurses to the importance of considering the effects on patients and carers of exposure to negative findings from inquiries and inspections.

Evaluation of Return to Practice: the views of nurse returnees from three NHS Hospital Trusts.

Aim: Exploration of the views and experiences of returnees on a Return to Practice programme based in three NHS Hospital Trusts.

Background: In the light of nursing shortages in Britain, there is an ongoing need to encourage nurses to re-enter the profession through Return to Practice programmes. In order to maximize returnees' participation in the nursing workforce; however, evaluation of the effectiveness of Return to Practice programmes is necessary.

Competence in nursing practice: A controversial concept--A focused review of literature.

The competency-based approach to education, training and assessment has surfaced as a key policy in industrialised nations. Following the transition of nurse preparation to the higher education sector the need to attenuate the tension of interests between employer and educator arose. While the competency-based approach has the potential to fulfil this, the application of competence to nursing is controversial and little consensus exists on definition.

A project to establish a skills competency matrix for EU nurses.

Enhanced nurse workforce mobility in the European Union (EU) is seen as a remedy to shortages of nurses in some EU countries and a surplus in others. However, knowledge of differences in competence, culture, skill levels and working practices of nursing staff throughout EU countries is not fully documented because currently no tangible method exists to enable comparison. The European Healthcare Training and Accreditation Network (EHTAN) project intends to address this problem by establishing an assessment and evaluation methodology through the compilation of a skills competency matrix.

Competence in nursing practice: a controversial concept--a focused review of literature.

The competency-based approach to education, training and assessment has surfaced as a key policy in industrialised nations. Following the transition of nurse preparation to the higher education sector the need to attenuate the tension of interests between employer and educator arose. While the competency-based approach has the potential to fulfil this, the application of competence to nursing is controversial and little consensus exists on definition.