Nursing Standard

17/08/2025

I can’t afford my NHS pension payments: should I leave the scheme?

Rising living costs and modest salaries may leave nurses struggling to make ends meet, but opting out of the NHS pension scheme could be a false economy.

Nurses struggling with immediate financial pressures may be tempted to reduce their monthly outgoings by cutting their pension contributions, and if they work for the NHS, opting out of its pension scheme. NHS pension specialist Graham Crossley explains why this could be a terrible mis-calculation a...

16/08/2025

Off sick and on holiday: what are nurses’ rights?

Read advice on accrued holiday, when to seek support and how to find out your rights to holidays and sick leave.

As a nurse, you might assume that if you are unable to work due to illness then you would also be unable to take a holiday but this is not always the case. If a holiday would assist your recuperation or if you had holiday booked before you were ill, for example, you may still be able to get away. Em...

16/08/2025

Nursing’s transferable skills: how can I use them to boost my career?

We provide tips on how to nurture your transferable skills such as leadership and communication, and how networking prepares you for new challenges.

Identifying your transferable skills as a nurse can boost your career prospects, yet many nurses overlook the diverse skills they have that have wide applications, such as communication, leadership, time management and demonstrating empathy. These are valuable across nursing roles. Leading nurses of...

15/08/2025

Nursing’s lost generation: how can we justify turning away new nurses?

Newly register nurses are struggling to find jobs in the NHS.

A senior nurse at the other end of her career suggests four ways to fix these issues.

https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/opinion/comment/nursings-lost-generation-how-can-we-justify-turning-away-new-nurses-215741

15/08/2025

Graduate jobs: can turning band 2 vacancies into band 5 posts work?

Some 5,000 vacant healthcare support worker posts will need to be sacrificed to fulfil government’s ‘graduate guarantee’ for all newly registered nurses.

Government’s unfunded ‘graduate guarantee’ scheme intended to ensure an entry-level job for every newly registered nurse (NRN) in England will rely on spending being redirected from vacant posts elsewhere in the NHS workforce. RCNi estimates 5,000 healthcare support worker vacancies would have...

14/08/2025

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has released a new global definition of ‘nurse’ and ‘nursing’.

Learn how this could benefit nurses, and see how it compared with previous versions.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has produced a new global definition of ‘nurse’ and ‘nursing’, which is vital as the role and functions of nurses have evolved and will continue to evolve with changes in healthcare policy and technological innovations. The new definition is compared...

14/08/2025

Fears for senior nursing roles amid pressures to cut NHS costs

A planned restructure at one NHS trust could lead to the loss of 17 senior nursing posts, leaving staff feeling demoralised and undervalued, Nursing Standard has been told.

Cost pressures are prompting some NHS trusts to propose major cuts to senior nursing roles, Nursing Standard has discovered. One nurse, who wishes to remain anonymous, says her trust is consulting on a proposal that would eradicate all of its band 8 head of nursing posts and some matron posts, which...

13/08/2025

To remain on the NMC register, all nurses are required to complete 35 hours of CPD relevant to their scope of practice over a three-year period.

This averages out at just one hour per month.

But is this enough for nurses’ career development?

Continuing professional development (CPD) is vital for nurses to maintain skills, ensure safe practice and meet Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) revalidation requirements. But CPD is about more than revalidation, and research shows that having long gaps between CPD activities makes it difficult t...

13/08/2025

Workplace pressures: film exposes the state of nursing

The latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast discusses the movie Late Shift, which highlights the universal challenges faced by nurses struggling with heavy workloads.

A new movie called Late Shift puts a spotlight on the universal challenges faced by nurses struggling with workloads that often stretch them near to breaking point. Our podcast discusses the movie as well as other nursing news in the headlines including a promise that all newly registered nurses wil...

12/08/2025

What advice would you give to nursing students for getting handovers right?

This article discusses the four key elements you need to deliver an effective handover.

Nursing handover can feel like information overload, especially when you’re a nursing student. Handover is an essential communication tool in nursing, but is conducted in a variety of ways, depending on the organisation. The article author describes research she undertook to discover the factors t...

12/08/2025

Nurses in emergency departments (EDs) are facing ‘abhorrent’ levels of violence, including being punched, spat at and even threatened with fi****ms.

Nursing staff in NHS emergency departments (EDs) face rising levels of violence as patient and public anger at long A&E waiting times spills over, it is claimed. Reports from 89 trusts that operate EDs suggest a steep rise in violence against staff. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union heard fro...

11/08/2025

Is it ever okay for a nurse to lie to protect a patient?

Our panel of nursing students, newly registered nurses and nursing lecturers offer their advice.

Advice for nursing students from our panel of nurses, lecturers and fellow students. Nurses must ‘act with honesty and integrity at all times’, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council code – but are there occasions when it is acceptable to be less than honest with patients? Nursing stud...