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The number of older people with multiple co-morbidities and cognitive impairment being admitted to hospital is increasing, and behavioural disturbances, such as confusion, agitation and delirium, are becoming commonplace. The need for nursing teams to manage the patients with such disturbances has led to the proliferation of one-to-one nursing or close observation, anecdotally known as 'specialing'. This article describes the implementation and outcomes of a new framework for providing enhanced supervision of patients in clinical wards run by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, one of the largest acute providers of care in Wales., Competing Interests: None declared, (©2019 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.)

Nurses are too often 'invisible, taken for granted and prevented from being as effective as they could be', according to a former health minister and NHS leader.

Louise Clark wants to see a culture change in nursing and she does not mince her words. 'Unacceptable control over patients and negative staff attitudes are still present throughout the NHS and must be challenged,' she says. 'The problem is most serious in some mental health and older people's wards, but anyone going into hospital can become a victim of restrictive practice.'

Agency nursing offers a strong alternative to permanent employment, says Hays Healthcare recruitment company director Simon Hudson, adding that many nurses choose it as a full-time career.

Our experts consider a hot topic of the day.

Your online story says nurses and NHS staff face a ban on sugary drinks at work.

I welcome the fact that the NMC plans to cut down on the time - and heartache for nurses - involved in processing unnecessary investigations. I read that it is expected this will cut costs, but my colleagues and I are not hopeful of this, given the NMC's history.

This informative textbook provides a clear and concise introduction to the principles and practice of palliative care.

One of the biggest contradictions of this profession is that staff who spend their lives taking care of others often feel no one cares about them.

Sustainability and transformation plans hit the headlines in August, along with concerns that these 'secret' arrangements will lead to deep cuts in NHS services across England. For many nurses, this will have been the first time they heard of so-called STPs. So what are they and what do they mean for nurses?

I worked the night shift on the night the clocks went back last month - 13-and-a-half hours dead on my feet, only to be told I'm won't be paid for the extra time worked.

The many nurses who have raised concerns about nursing associates via Nursing Standard's Facebook page are absolutely right.

The most prestigious accolade in nursing has been launched, with entries invited for 13 categories that cover the breadth and depth of the profession.

Letters have been sent to tens of thousands of former practising nurses in England urging them to return to the profession.

Jason Warriner held senior NHS nursing positions before becoming clinical director at the Terrence Higgins Trust. He was also a UK director of quality and clinical services at Marie Stopes International, and chair of the RCN public health nursing forum.

Essential facts Leading Change, Adding Value is NHS England's new nursing and midwifery framework. It builds on Compassion in Practice (CiP), which set out the 6Cs. While CiP established the values of nursing and midwifery, the new framework explains how staff can help transform the health and care sectors to meet the aims of the NHS England's Five Year Forward View.

Has more ever been asked of nurses? Within the space of 24 hours in May, two documents called on them to lead change and take on extra responsibilities in front line care.

Essential facts Leading Change, Adding Value is NHS England's new nursing and midwifery framework. It builds on Compassion in Practice (CiP), which set out the 6Cs. While CiP established the values of nursing and midwifery, the new framework explains how staff can help transform the health and care sectors to meet the aims of NHS England's Five Year Forward View.

I agree with Mike Travis' comments (letters April 20) about the role and responsibilities of the trade union movement, and those of the RCN in caring for and fighting politically on behalf of nurses at all levels.

Complaints and their management are an important indicator of the quality of care. Therefore, effective management of complaints is central to improve services and prioritise an open, honest and transparent health service. However, there is scope for NHS organisations to improve their response to complaints. This article outlines the NHS complaints procedure, focusing on how nurses can develop essential skills to help them to improve their management of any complaints that arise in their clinical area. It provides a structured framework, identifying useful communication skills, and explores how managing complaints relates to a nurse's statutory duty of candour.

Organisations in vanguard areas are developing new ways of working to improve and integrate care. In the first article of our three-part series on vanguards, the nurse at NHS England leading the way to new models of care predicts they will become the ‘norm for the future’.

HOSPITAL STAFF are bracing themselves for a surge in emergency admissions this winter, but a new report claims the effect of the rise could be mitigated if financial savings are made elsewhere in the NHS.

Over the next few weeks, chief nursing officer for England Jane Cummings and her team will draw up the first draft of a new nursing and midwifery strategy. The draft strategy is set to be presented to around 500 senior nurses attending the chief nurse's annual two-day summit in Birmingham, to be held next month and entitled Leading Change and Creating Value.

AS A senior manager in the nursing team at the Evelina London Children's Hospital, I fully appreciate the importance of revalidation. This is a big change for the profession so it is crucial to ensure that it works well for registrants and, most importantly, that it is effective in promoting high-quality care for patients.

IT IS always great to see nurse-led innovations championed beyond the immediate nursing community. The latest import from the Netherlands to have caught the attention of UK health and social care providers and commissioners is the Buurtzorg model.

A short series of articles in Nursing Older People, starting in September, presents case study examples of the positive work achieved by trusts that participated in the RCN's development programme to improve dementia care in acute hospitals. This introductory article reports on the independent evaluation of the programme. The programme included a launch event, development days, site visits, ongoing support by the RCN lead and carer representatives and a conference to showcase service improvements. The evaluation drew on data from a survey, the site visits, trust action plans and a range of self-assessment tools for dementia care. The findings highlight substantial progress towards programme objectives and learning outcomes and suggest that the programme provided the focus, impetus and structure for trusts to make sustainable changes. It also equipped participants with the strategies and confidence to change practice. Recommendations are made for taking the programme forward.