Nursing Standard :: RCNi

New NMC investigators to take on sensitive FtP cases The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is expanding its Sensitive and Complex Casework Team to help speed up its fitness to practise (FtP) responses to high-profile events such as criminal cases and major public inquiries. The move comes after the regulator admitted failings in the cases of former...

NMC expands specialist FTP team to speed up decisions on high-profile criminal cases and public inquiries, such as Letby

A 10-step guide to success: literature reviews.

In this article, experts offer advice on how to prepare for and undertake literature reviews. They give practical tips on choosing nursing databases, search terms and reference management.

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A nursing home manager has been fined more than £1,100 after a resident was burned by a bedroom radiator.

The care provider was also fined, with the CQC saying staff who were responsible for risk assessments at the nursing home were inadequately trained.

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Fast 16-month nursing degree apprenticeship given go-ahead New fast-track ‘earn while you learn’ degree apprenticeship programme will allow nursing associates from anywhere in the UK to qualify as nurses in just 16 months. The course has an innovative structure that provides flexibility for people who have caring responsibilities or live far from the ca...

University's 16-month fast-track degree apprenticeship given the go-ahead

Patient death: fall injury ‘compounded by neglect’ from staff Coroner’s prevention of future deaths report says hospital patient died from a brain bleed following a fall, after nursing and other healthcare staff failed to adequately assess risks and monitor her properly.

A patient who died of a brain bleed after a hospital fall was failed by nursing staff who did not put adequate care plans in place, a coroner has warned. 

Beaches, watersports and a £50k salary: Jersey offers nursing associate roles Salaries advertised for nursing roles on Jersey are in stark contrast to pay in equivalent roles in the NHS. Find out what nursing associates and sister/charge nurses are currently being offered to work on the Channel island.

Does getting paid up to £50,000 for a nursing associate role sound too good to be true? 

Nursing staff could see a big boost to their pay just 90 miles away. 

Unwitnessed cardiac arrest: 1-to-1 nurse observations reviewed after death Inquest finds that inadequate mental health monitoring and a lack of one-to-one observation in a hospital's emergency department could have been a factor in the death of a woman.

Inadequate mental health monitoring due to a lack of nurses was a factor in the death of a woman following an 'unwitnessed' cardiac arrest, a coroner has found.

NHS bank pay cuts: nurses fight loss of £70 per shift Experienced and senior nurses have mounted a grievance over an NHS trust’s move to a near-blanket band 5 pay rate for bank work, regardless of nurses’ substantive banding and therefore their knowledge and skills. The nurses – some with band 7 roles – say patient safety concerns mean they ine...

Group of 50 emergency nurses at NHS trust fight cuts to their bank rates after they were slashed to a flat-rate 

Advanced practice nurses are ‘not substitutes for doctors’ The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has clarified the role and expertise of advanced practice nurses, after a British Medical Association (BMA) survey raised concerns about blurred roles. The BMA says it has had reports from some members about non-medical staff work beyond their competence.

Advanced practice nurses are ‘not substitutes for doctors’, as BMA flags concerns about blurring of roles

ICU nurses face job loss deadline over ‘fire and rehire’ contracts Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in a long-running dispute with NHS trust over their contracted place of work and enforced site rotation now say they were banned from their ward and their pay docked when during non-strike action.

ICU nurses face job loss deadline in just a few days over ‘fire and rehire’ contracts

Fraudulent qualitative study participants: experiences of two nurse researchers Fraudulent qualitative study participants: experiences of two nurse researchers

The shift to virtual data collection during the pandemic introduced the rise of fraudulent study participants.

This article looks at the threat of fraudulent participation in nursing research, how to spot red flags and what researchers can do about it.

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Conducting handovers at the bedside allows staff to become familiar with the patient, recall important details, and address any immediate concerns.

But is a bedside handover approach always best? What's your experience?

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A microaggression is a subtle, often unintentional comment or action that expresses prejudice. They can be unintended but can make people feel awful.

Are they rife in healthcare?

Here's how to challenge them: rcni.com/nursing-stan...

'Please pay us’: nursing students call for paid placements A campaign by a university students’ union is petitioning the government to ease financial strain on nursing students. It explains the career and social consequences of this pressure, calls for students to get paid for placements and other ways that the financial burden can be eased.

Should nursing students get paid for placements? 

University student union launches campaign to get nursing students paid for placements.

What advice would you give to a nursing student about time keeping?

This article looks at five strategies to help nursing students balance coursework, clinical placements and personal commitments, and plan for a future nursing role.

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Planning care is a vital aspect of nursing, and written care plans underpin safe and effective practice.

But what should they include? And how can nursing students improve their skills in developing them?

Read this article to develop your skills in writing care plans.

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Rampton Hospital: nurses left alone in high-security wards at night Nurses are being left to cover whole wards at on their own at night at one of England’s highest-security psychiatric hospitals, recent hospital board papers reveal. Former high-profile patients at the hospital include serial killer and former nurse Beverley Allitt, Soham murderer Ian Huntley and n...

Nurses at Rampton Hospital were left to cover high security wards on night shifts on their own almost 200 times in six months.

CPD focus: importance of listening in developing therapeutic relationships CPD focus: importance of listening in developing therapeutic relationships

Do we listen enough in nursing? Listening can be a core aspect of mental health nursing practice.

How will the new Mental Health Act affect healthcare? The Mental Health Act 2025 is the most significant overhaul of mental health legislation in England and Wales for more than 40 years. Learn about the changes and the effect it could have on mental healthcare

As we mark Mental Health Nurses' Day, we're reflecting on how the new Mental Health Act affects nurses working across healthcare settings. Do you know what it means for you?

NHS nursing pay award for 2026-27: your questions answered The 2026-27 pay award for NHS nursing staff has been heavily criticised by nursing unions after the government announced it would accept the NHS Pay Review Body recommendations in full. Here, we look at how things currently stand with the nurses’ pay award and what happens next

What is happening with nurses' pay in 2026?

As governments in England & Wales accept the NHS pay award, our Q&A looks at what all UK nurses can expect on pay in the year ahead.

Nurse struck off for not requesting CPR for patient who died Fitness to practise panel papers detail how a nurse of almost 45 years contravened her trust’s policy regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) requests, and put an older patient in her care at an unwarranted risk of harm, among other failings

A nurse of more than 40 years has been struck off for going against trust protocol and failing to make a cardiac arrest call so CPR could be performed on a patient.

Are there 'shadowing' opportunities where you work?

Shadowing can offer a unique insight into nursing roles you may be interested in doing in the future and what they actually entail.

This Nursing Standard careers article looks at where to start and how to make it work.

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Do you know how to assess frailty in older adults with cancer?

Take this CPD quiz, gain a certificate and add CPD time to your portfolio.

This quiz is based on the article 'Assessing frailty in older adults with cancer to optimise care provision and outcomes'.

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NHS nursing staff to get 3.3% pay rise in April Nursing staff on Agenda for Change contracts will receive their annual pay award on time for the first time in six years, however unions have expressed their anger at ‘insulting’, below-inflation pay rise.

NHS nursing staff in England and Wales will get a 3.3% pay rise in April.

Staff on Agenda for Change contracts will get their annual pay rise on time for the first time in years, but unions have vented their anger at the below-inflation award, labelling it an insult.

BREAKING NEWS: The government is to offer a 3.3% pay rise for NHS nurses on AfC contracts for 2026-27. 

It follows recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body.

More to follow.

https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news

The RCN has responded to an announcement that Agenda for Change staff will receive a pay increase of 3.3%.

For all the latest on nurse pay go to : rcni.com/keywords/pay

BREAKING NEWS: The government is to offer a 3.3% pay rise for NHS nurses on AfC contracts for 2026-27. 

It follows recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body.

More to follow.

https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news

Man jailed for attempted murder after scissor attack on nurse Romon Haque has been jailed after stabbing a nurse with a pair of scissors while waiting for a mental health assessment at Royal Oldham Hospital. He was found guilty of attempted murder after the unprovoked attack, described as ‘frenzied and savage’.

A man who attacked a nurse multiple times with scissors, leaving her in intensive care, has been given a 28-year sentence. He lunged at her after he was asked to wait for medication.

Authentic nurse leadership: what is it and how do I practise it?

My article in @nursingstandard.bsky.social

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#NuseSky

CPD: is one hour a month enough for nurses’ career development?

CPD is essential for all registered nurses, but how do you find the time to train?

This Nursing Standard article looks at the strategies to help you retain knowledge.

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