Follow us
Log in
Much of the content on our site is available to our registered users only. If you're already registered, just click the 'Log in' button then enter your email address and password.
Register
If you're not already registered on the site, you'll need to do so in order to gain unrestricted access to all our content. There are two types of registration:
1. If you're a current subscriber, you can register for access to our protected content at no additional cost. You'll need your subscription number in order to complete your registration, which is on the polythene wrapper in which your journal is delivered. Click the Register button to begin your registration.
2. If you don't currently subscribe you can do so now by taking out a secure online subscription. Not only will this give you instant access to our protected online content, but you'll also get every issue of Nursing Standard - the UK's best selling nursing journal - delivered straight to your door. Click the Register button to begin your subscription and registration.
News
Read all the latest news from the Care Campaign here.
Angela Rippon flags up Care campaign
Angela Rippon CBE, Vice Chair of the Patients Association, appeared at a University Campus Suffolk (UCS) conference, focusing on the quality of care giving to patients; a topic regularly in the headlines.
May 3rd 2012
Leading by example
Promoting support for nurse leaders is one of the ten priorities for action identified by Nursing Standard's Care campaign. All nurse leaders need local and national role models and mentorship. In this article we outline the qualities of effective nurse leaders.
Feature, Nursing Standard, May 2, vol 26, no 35, 2012
Ready for action
In response to concerns about nurse education, some universities are changing the emphasis of the curriculum.
Feature, Nursing Standard, April 25, vol 26, no 34, 2012
Test your resilience at work
i-resilience is an online tool to help build resilience, confidence, adaptability and social support.
Building resilience
The nature of nurses' work can take a heavy physical and emotional toll which, if left unchecked, can have a detrimental effect on patient care. Employers can promote staff wellbeing by providing appropriate support, leadership and supervision.
Feature, Nursing Standard, April 11, vol 26 no 32, 2012
Building resilience in the nursing workforce
As nurses, you routinely encounter things that the rest of society would rather forget about - terrible wounds, mental suffering, pain and distress, even death and dying. So how do you cope?
Editorial, Nursing Standard, April 11, vol 26 no 32, 2012
Getting ratios right, for the patients’ sake
Good staffing is one of the ten priorities for action identified by Nursing Standard's Care campaign. Diluting skill mix is tempting for NHS executives when finances are tight, but evidence is mounting that this puts patient care at risk.
Feature, Nursing Standard, April 4, vol 26 no 31, 2012
The burden of bureaucracy
Form-filling is important yet time-consuming so it is vital to be efficient, writes Clare Lomas. This article looks at how some organisations are revolutionising how nurses handle bureaucratic tasks, releasing them to improve their practice and spend more time at the bedside.
Feature, Nursing Standard, March 28, vol 26 no 30, 2012
Taking action on poor practice
Researchers have identified how organisations can support better care, write Yvonne Sawbridge and Alistair Hewison.
Careers, Nursing Standard, March 28, vol 26 no 30, 2012
Enthusiasm for campaign message spreads
Nurses at an NHS trust in Kent are backing Nursing Standard's Care campaign by devoting each Friday throughout March 2012 to promoting the initiative.
News, Nursing Standard, March 28, vol 26 no 30, 2012
Free to lead, free to care
Ward managers need supernumerary status to lead nursing care effectively. Christian Duffin talks to senior nurses who have achieved this goal.
Feature, Nursing Standard, March 21, vol 26 no 29, 2012
Strategic thinking
Nurse managers explain to Adele Waters how they are dealing with the requirement to cut costs while ensuring safe staffing levels at all times.
Feature, Nursing Standard, March 14, vol 26 no 28, 2012
All eyes on the patient
As part of the Care campaign, nurse leaders and patients' representatives drew up ten 'priorities for action' that should be implemented by all healthcare providers. Top of the list is to ensure that every organisation makes patient care its core focus. This article looks at how some hospitals are already seeking to achieve this objective and what is being done to make patient care the top priority everywhere.
Feature, Nursing Standard, March 7, vol 26 no 27, 2012
Using innovation to make care a priority
There are various strands to the Care campaign being run by Nursing Standard, but foremost is its aim to ensure that high-quality care is the top priority in every healthcare organisation. One of the ways we are seeking to achieve this objective is by highlighting the work of nurses who are taking steps to turn this aspiration into reality, or have already done so.
Editorial, Nursing Standard, March 7, vol 26 no 27, 2012
Nutritional benefits
In the final article in our four-part series examining four strands of fundamental care, we examine why failure to support adequate nutrition is a common complaint against hospital staff. We also look at the causes for these failures, and the variety of imaginative strategies many are using to tackle the problem.
Feature, Nursing Standard, February 29, vol 26 no 26, 2012
Listening and learning to make care better
Volunteers are talking to patients and suggesting how care could be improved as part of an innovative scheme. Jo Carlowe and Adele Waters report.
Feature, Nursing Standard, February 29, vol 26 no 26, 2012
Relieve pain effectively
Recent statistics from the Patients Association show 17 per cent of patients raised poor pain relief as a concern in calls to its helpline. In the third of our four-part series examining the four strands of fundamental care, we look at how competing demands can affect effective pain relief and how some organisations have made improvements.
Feature, Nursing Standard, February 22nd, vol 26, no 25, 2012
Outpatients say care is dignified, but communication is poor
Eighty three per cent of outpatients rated the care they receive as excellent or very good in a patient experience survey published last week.
News, Nursing Standard, February 22, vol 26 no 25, 2012
Assistance with toileting
In the second article of our series analysing four fundamental elements of nursing, Erin Dean looks at steps being taken to improve continence care.
Feature, Nursing Standard, February 15th, vol 26 no 24, 2012
Nurses are in denial about poor care, warns ex-Mid Staffs chair
The former chair of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust said last week that some staff are still in denial about the existence of of poor care.
News, Nursing Standard, February 15th, vol 26 no 24, 2012
Advanced solutions
Patients' increasingly complex care needs mean nurses must be well educated, says Denise Chaffer.
Reflections, Nursing Standard, February 15th, vol 26 no 24, 2012
When a sense of duty calls
Blowing the whistle on poor care is encouraged, but what happens after employees do just that? Sarah Wray investigates.
Careers, Nursing Standard, February 15th, vol 26 no 24, 2012
Three challenges for care staff
It is heartening to see that emergency nurses are supporting the Care campaign, launched by Emergency Nurse's sister journal, Nursing Standard, and the Patients Association to help healthcare professionals improve patient care.
Editorial, Emergency Nurse, February 2012, Vol 19, no 9
Emergency nurses prepare to take the Care challenge
Campaign sets out ten priorities for nurses to ensure that patients are treated with compassion and dignity.
News, Emergency Nurse, February 2012, Vol 19, Number 9
Communicating with compassion
Communication has always been the cornerstone of nursing care, so much so that it is almost impossible to describe what nursing is or what nurses do without reference to terms such as listening, communicating, reporting and observing.
Feature, Nursing Standard, February 8th, vol 26 no 23, 2012
End the blame game
Finger-pointing over poor care achieves nothing - we must inspire change instead, says Ashley Brooks.
Opinion, Nursing Standard, February 8, vol 26 no 23, 2012
NHS employers join our campaign to ensure excellent patient care
Three quarters of NHS trusts and boards in the UK have signed up to the Nursing Standard's campaign to improve the quality of patient care.
News, Nursing Standard, February 8, vol 26 no 23, 2012
Made to measure
Kath Sharples explains how NMC education standards help equip nursing students to care compassionately.
Careers, Nursing Standard, Feb 8, vol 26 no 23, 2012
Latest letters - Feb 8 2012
Read the latest correspondance sent to us about the Care campaign.
True compassion is about knowing how to treat people as individuals
Even the smallest dose of compassion makes a difference
Physician hits the nail on the head over 'safe' staffing ratio
What action should we take to save the health service
Government seems blind to the realities of care in acute trusts
Staff sign up to show their support for care campaign
Nurse leaders are backing a drive to focus on the most fundamental of healthcare, writes Sophie Blakemore.
Analysis, Nursing Management, February 2012, Volume 18, Number 9
Base decisions on facts, not instinct
Nursing Standard's Care campaign, a joint initiative with Patients Association, is striving to ensure that standards of care are raised and that the fundamental needs of patients and clients are met.
Opinion, Nursing Management, February 2012, Volume 18, Number 9
Criticise care standards - but not nursing standards
The tireless work of nurses is not so well documented, writes Alan Roberts, a consultant physician at The Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester.
Reflections | Nursing Standard | January 25 | vol 26 no 21 | 2012
More than a checklist
With the government calling for hourly patient checks, intentional rounding could soon be widespread in hospitals.
Feature, Nursing Standard, 18th January 2012
Healthcare assistants taking on increasingly complex roles
Health care assistants (HCAs) are taking on increasingly complex roles and responsibilities - prompting fresh calls for their regulation.
Web exclusive, Nursing Standard, 13th January 2012
This is an extended article taken from the original news story, which was published in Nursing Standard on 11th January 2012. You can read that story by clicking the link below.
Survey reveals extent of duties undertaken by support workers
Baroness to tell peers about Nursing Standard's findings
Peers debating the regulation of support workers will be given details of the wide range of tasks that healthcare assistants are undertaking and the dangers posed to patient safety.
News, Nursing Standard, January 11th, vol 26 no 19, 2012
PM vows to cut bureaucracy and introduce hourly nursing rounds
Nurses will receive support to enhance the care they provide for patients as part of a government drive to improve quality in the NHS.
News, Nursing Standard, January 11th, vol 26 no 19, 2012
Give us the right number and mix of staff to drive up care standards
Adele Waters analyses the results of our exclusive survey, in which readers explain what should be done to improve patients' experience.
Today's nurses believe they are doing a reasonable job despite the odds stacked against them, according to an exclusive Nursing Standard survey.
Analysis, Nursing Standard, January 4th, vol 26 no 18, 2012
Poor quality care blamed on workload
Nurses respond to key complaints reported to the Patients Association
Concerns about poor care top the list of complaints to the Patients Association's helpline. The association says there are four types of poor care that patients and relatives continually report.
Analysis, Nursing Standard, January 4th, vol 26 no 18, 2012
Nurses give themselves seven out of ten for quality of care
Today's nurses rate the standard of care they give to patients as seven out of ten. In an exclusive Nursing Standard survey, readers were asked to rate their own care from one out of ten (bad) to ten (excellent).
News, Nursing Standard, January 4, vol 26 no 18, 2012
Caring for patients is more than just a tick-box exercise
Julie Hall's letter asked 'has care in our hospitals been reduced to the tick-box rota seen in public lavatories?' Read the responses and let us know your opinion.
Bad press: There are two sides to a story
'Nurses are the subject of so much negative media coverage recently', a neighbour said to me. 'You are not expecting any sympathy about your pensions, are you?'
I was mortified.
Opinion, Zeba Arif, Nursing Standard, January 4, vol 26 no 18, 2012
Without the resources, quality will suffer
More than 2,500 Nursing Standard readers responded to our survey on the standard of care they are able to deliver. The results indicate there is no panacea that would lead to a marked improvement, although there is a consensus that increasing the number of registered nurses and support staff would make a huge difference.
Editorial, Nursing Standard, January 4, vol 26 no 18, 2012
Your feedback
We have been receiving letters and emails about the Care campaign. Read what you have to say so far.
Improvements evident thanks to new two-hourly rounds
Karin Burke's email about introducing two-hourly rounding in all the adult inpatient wards at University Hospital Lewisham in London sparked a response. Read the views here - what do you think?
Every NHS trust urged to take up the challenge of improving care
The first commissioning organisations and NHS trusts to sign up to the Care campaign have pledged their commitment to ensuring all patients receive the fundamentals of care.
News, Nursing Standard, December 14, vol 26 no 15-17, 2011
Pre-op nutrition assessments could save lives
The nutritional status of patients should be assessed carefully and improved where necessary before elective surgery, according to a major review of perioperative care.
News, Nursing Standard, December 14, vol 26 no 15-17, 2011
The profession has plenty to be proud of
There have been more lowlights than highlights for nurses in 2011, as the reality of getting by professionally and personally on more meagre resources has started to hit home. Everyone knew we were in for tough times, but this tough? And the 'age of austerity' has barely started.
Editorial, Nursing Standard, December 14, vol 26 no 15-17, 2011
Hear the clarion call
The profession, from its leaders to its students, is united in backing our Care campaign. Elaine Cole reports on just some of the supportive comments we have received.
Features, Nursing Standard, December 7th 2011
Interview: Michael Traynor
Michael Traynor, professor of nursing policy at Middlesex University, speaks to us about his psychoanalytic theory for why some nurses can become passive participants in care failings.
Reputation on the line
Alison Whyte tracks the recent history of care failings that have put nurses' image in the spotlight.
Features, Nursing Standard, November 23, vol 26, no 12, 2011
Nurse managers need to start becoming better team players
Nursing Standard should be congratulated for spearheading the Care campaign.
Letters, Nursing Standard, November 23, vol 26, no 12, 2011
Job insecurity and staff anxiety putting standards of care at risk
Patient care is being compromised because nurses are struggling to cope with increased workloads and the ongoing threat of losing their job, the RCN warned this week.
News, Nursing Standard, November 23, vol 26 no 12, 2011
Nursing's reputation could be rescued by a job well done
While I am encouraged by the Care campaign, what has happened to our profession that we need a campaign to make sure patients eat and drink, and are helped with toileting?
Letters, Nursing Standard, November 16, vol 26, no 11, 2011
Strategy for change
What causes poor care and what can be done to stop it? As part of our Care campaign with the Patients Association, we invited experts and commentators to tell us.
Nursing Standard :: November 16 :: vol 26 no 11 :: 2011
Campaign to raise standards of care attracts high-level support
The UK's four chief nursing officers have pledged their support for a Nursing Standard campaign to improve patient care.
News, Nursing Standard, November 16, vol 26, no 11, 2011
Nurse leaders set out their top ten objectives in bid to improve care
A ten-point plan setting out priorities for patient care to restore public confidence in nursing has been agreed by nurse leaders and patients at an emergency summit.
News, Nursing Standard, November 9, vol 26, no 10, 2011
Report highlights cases of poor nutrition and pain relief failings
Distressing cases of patients being denied safe and dignified treatment will be published by the Patients Association today as it joins forces with Nursing Standard to drive up the quality of care.
News, Nursing Standard, November 9, vol 26, no 10, 2011
Join our campaign to enable the best care
2011 is destined to become an annus horribilis for nursing as a profession, a year in which a series of high-profile investigations revealed scandalous levels of care in far too many hospitals and community settings. But 2011 could yet be the year in which nurses seize the opportunity to fight back, insist on higher standards everywhere and show the real picture: that the vast majority of nursing staff care passionately about their patients and want only what is best for them.
Editorial, Nursing Standard, November 9, vol 26, no 10, 2011
Read about the Patient’s Choice Award
We know that the majority of nursing care in the UK is good and certainly most Nursing Standard readers care about giving quality care to their patients.
So we invited patients across the UK to nominate nurses who have made a real difference to their care journey for the Patient's Choice Award. The award is supported by the Patients Association and is in honour of Claire Rayner, the late nurse and patient champion.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Your feedback
Read the latest letters and emails sent to us regarding the Care Campaign.
The RCN Publishing Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal College of Nursing, the world's largest organisation for nurses. RCN Publishing produces one weekly, eight monthly and two quarterly nursing publications. Nursing Standard, the flagship journal, is the UK's biggest selling weekly for nursing. It is produced by RCN Publishing Company along with a suite of specialist nursing journals - Cancer Nursing Practice, Mental Health Practice, Learning Disability Practice, Nursing Children and Young People, Nursing Management, Emergency Nurse, Nursing Older People, Nurse Researcher and Primary Health Care. RCN Publishing Company also produce the RCN Bulletin, a major source of up-to-the-minute information for RCN members in all specialities, grades and working environments. With the latest nurse vacancies from trusts nationwide, it has become the most cost-effective nurse recruitment magazine available.