Health & Care

Sepsis can be fatal if not spotted early, and nursing interventions are key to noticing the symptoms on time. Recent technological integrations have shown promise in facilitating nurses' management of sepsis patients, yet figures indicate that the UK is failing to keep up with other wealthy nations’ progress on cutting sepsis mortality. Here we unpack the latest research... Read More

Since the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative was introduced, countries across the world have been working to become more breastfeeding friendly. Each country has it's own unique strategy to promote the welfare of mothers and babies alike, here are some of the most successful strategies that the UK could gain inspiration from. Read More

Sexual health services have hit 'breaking point', with staff morale at an all-time low and nursing recruitment and retention facing a massive 'succession-crisis'. Taking a look back at the last 20 years, we explore the debates around issues of exploitation, inequality of pay and perceived competency and interrogate the question: have sexual health nurses been pushed beyond their skillset? Read More

Many of us have heard of the term sepsis, and that it’s linked to some form of infection. What many people don’t know is not only how common cases of sepsis can be, but also the key signs that someone might be suffering from sepsis because it can be increasingly difficult to spot, making it a life-threatening condition that can occur both in children and adults. Without early identification and emergency treatment the chances of surviving sepsis are greatly reduced. Read More

Discussing death with a loved one is challenging to say the least. By the same token, being the health or social care professional responsible for discussing an end of life care plan with a dying or critically ill patient and their family members is a huge professional challenge. Read More

Whilst the majority of the world waits patiently for a vaccine to put an end to the death and economic destruction wrought by COVID-19, anti-vaxxers are joining anti-lockdown protests and using this time of uncertainty to spread misinformation and fear. Such an alliance is causing vaccine hesitancy to rise in the UK and across the world, posing a threat to public health. Here we will unpack everything about vaccines and the people they're made for - from the science to the politics to the conspiracy theories they are entrenched in. Read More

Breast milk is commonly understood to provide sustenance to babies, but fewer people know about the importance of breastfeeding immunity. Breastfeeding has been shown to provide vital protection from infectious diseases to infants whilst in the womb and shortly after. But, is that the whole story, or are there effects that reach beyond infancy? Read More

It’s an interesting concept that a day off can be taken without guilt for a headache, but if you’re having a full-blown panic attack or episode of depression you feel you still have to go to work. So how do you know if you need to take mental health days and what should you do with them? Read More

The autism puzzle piece symbol puzzle piece to represent people on the autism spectrum has a long and troubled past, from when it was first created. Why? To understand this, you have to first understand where the symbol came from and the meaning attached to it. Read More

The regulator has, like many others, had to adapt their approach around the challenges that come with a pandemic, however, along with their launch of the Emergency Support Framework, the CQC has received some backlash over their role in care homes during the crisis. Read More

It's Mental Health Awareness Week and this year's theme is kindness, most specifically being kind to yourself. In light of this theme, our Head of Marketing explores how altering your perception of time, your own time in particular, can be massively advantageous for your mental health. Read More

Several key fire safety regulations have come into power in the UK this month. Here, we take a look back at the timeline since Grenfell and explore what the new legislation means for the healthcare sector. Read More

New guidance released by Skills for Health and Health Education England following a review of the minimum requirements for statutory and mandatory training during the Covid-19, has identified that four key subject matters should be focused on to ensure training is maintained for frontline workers. Read More

As the number of COVID-19 cases rise and concerns around the pandemic escalate, we want to reassure you that the Skills Platform are committed to supporting our customers, the NHS and wider healthcare sector during this novel crisis. Read More

In October 2019, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) released their annual assessment of health care and social care in England. The document, aptly named ‘State of Care’ reported that, despite challenging times, most of the care given across England is good and, overall, the quality is improving slightly. However, they also reported that service users are not always having good experiences and sometimes people don’t get the care they need until it’s too late and things have seriously worsened for them. Read More

CQC published a report ‘Smiling Matters’ in June 2019 which details an in-depth review on the state of oral health care in care homes across England. Since October 2019, new questions to improve oral care in care homes have been added to the Care Quality Commission’s ‘effective’ key line of inspection inquiry. Read More

The Workforce Development Fund (WDF) is a funding opportunity for adult social care employers in England. It’s a finite pot of money which allows you to reclaim some of the costs incurred through the achievement of advertised qualifications and non-accredited learning programmes by your workforce on completion of the learning. The fund supports the continuing professional development of staff across the adult social care sector. Read More

The third Monday of January has the uninspiring title of Blue Monday. Apparently, a university professor managed to precisely calculate the most depressing day of the year, using formulae based on weather conditions, financial debt, time since Christmas, the time since failing our new year’s resolutions and low motivational level!! Cheery stuff. Read More

The clocks are turning back, and nights are drawing in; somehow, with a blink of an eye summer has gone for another year. This time of seasonal change brings lots of emotions - the more organised amongst you may have all but finished your Christmas shopping, others will be counting down the days until the annual ward night out whilst some of you will simply be wanting to hibernate for a few months. Yet, love it or hate it one thing is for sure: everyone wants to escape the winter bugs, especially the dreaded ‘flu'. Read More

The recent publication of the CQC report, Smiling Matters: Oral health care in care homes found that both a lack of access to dentists and insufficient support provided by care home staff is leading to a worrying state of affairs for residents' dental health. Read More

New guidelines for professional carers administering buccal (ormomucosal) midazolam for epilepsy patients in the community have been published by the Epilepsy Nurses Association (ESNA), replacing the Joint Epilepsy Council (JEC) guidelines. Read More