Time to retire...or carry on nursing?

Plans to scrap the default retirement age (DRA) have met with strong criticism from business groups and fears that the Government have rushed the proposals through without proper consultation. For nurses it means that, from next October, employers will be unable to automatically lay off staff when they reach the age of 65 years. Although the DRA will be scrapped in October the real effects will not be felt until April onwards, as employers must give 6 months' notice to staff that they want to retire.

Lansley's ambition for the NHS.

Since the general election, it has been rather quiet with regard to the new Government's proposals for health care. Perhaps it was all the uncertainties of the coalition-building and the UK's present financial problems that had left a vacuum or a feeling of suspension. Anyway, the first indication or hint of what is ahead for us came from a speech by Andrew Lansley, the new Secretary of State for Health, at the Bromley-by-Bow Centre on the 8 June.

Integrating practice into theory in the new nursing curriculum.

This article examines the progress made by the University of Central England (UCE) over the last 18 months in implementing Health Service Circular 1999/219; the government document that contains guidance on the main points that had to be included in new pre-registration nursing curricula. Sixteen pilot sites were chosen to implement the new curriculum and UCE was one of these. The key focus of the curriculum being implemented is to draw practice and theory more closely together.

Developing critical appraisal skills amongst staff in a hospital trust.

This project was designed to encourage health professionals to use available evidence in their practice by facilitating the development of critical appraisal skills and by making them aware of the practical benefits of using evidence in practice. A partn ership was developed to roll out a workshop programme to enable all members of the health care team within a variety of clinical areas locate, appraise and utilise appropriate evidence in their speciality and to provide the Hospital's professional develo pment team with the necessary experience to conduct subsequent programmes. Six different modules were provided including an introductory session and five other modules each covering a portion of the critical appraisal process.

A best evidence systematic review of interprofessional education: BEME Guide no. 9.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUND AND REVIEW CONTEXT: Evidence to support the proposition that learning together will help practitioners and agencies work better together remains limited and thinly spread. This review identified, collated, analysed and synthesised the best available contemporary evidence from 21 of the strongest evaluations of IPE to inform the above proposition. In this way we sought to help shape future interprofessional education and maximize the potential for interprofessional learning to contribute to collaborative practice and better care.

A clinical overview of endometriosis: a misunderstood disease.

Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the endometrial cavity and is the most common known cause of pelvic pain. The number of women being diagnosed with the disease is increasing, but this may be reflective of improved diagnostic techniques. The aetiology is unknown, although the theory of retrograde menstruation remains dominant.

'Sustained by a commitment to social justice'.

Paula McGee, senior research fellow in nursing, Faculty of Health, University of Central England, talks about being a nurse, becoming a tutor and how her work in transcultural care opened doors for her that she had never known existed.

Endometriosis-associated dyspareunia: the impact on women's lives.

Background And Methodology: Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which endometrial glands and stroma are present outside of the uterus. Whereas chronic pelvic pain is the most commonly experienced pain of endometriosis, many women also suffer from deep dyspareunia. In order to determine how much of an impact endometriosis-associated dyspareunia has on the lives and relationships of women a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, supplemented with quantitative data on the extent of dyspareunia, was conducted in a dedicated endometriosis clinic in the West Midlands, UK with 30 women aged from 19 to 44 years.