Nursing Standard

19/07/2025

Recording a 12-lead ECG: a guide for nurses

This article describes the procedure for obtaining an accurate ECG recording, and outlines some of the issues that might lead to errors and inaccuracies.

How to accurately record a 12-lead ECG

18/07/2025

Cuts to bank nurse pay and shifts – what’s the latest?

The latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast discusses NHS trusts continuing to target bank staff, why a nurse prescriber was fined £8,000, and what nurses should know about ultra-processed foods.

The latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast discusses NHS trusts in England continuing to cut bank pay and shifts, an £8,000 fine for a nurse prescriber unlawfully supplying weight-loss drugs and other prescription-only medicines, what nurses need to know about ultra-processed foods, and nur...

17/07/2025

Electronic patient records (EPR) – do they improve nursing handovers?

Nurses and doctors are being encouraged to use EPRs in handovers as it can reduce errors and improve efficiency.

Here we look at what nurses need to know and how to maximise the potential of the system.

Nearly all parts of the NHS have electronic patient record (EPR) systems, which store patient information such as medical history, diagnoses and treatment details, as well as interactions with the health service, and aim to save staff time and improve productivity. But despite their potential to aid...

17/07/2025

An investigation into whistleblowing and fitness to practise case-handling at the Nursing and Midwifery Council has suffered the latest in a string of setbacks.

The barrister leading the process, which has been dogged by delays, is unable to continue for personal reasons, it has been announced.

Investigations into whistleblowing and fitness to practise (FtP) handling at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have been delayed after barrister Ijeoma Omambala KC stepped down for personal reasons. Initially due in spring 2024, the reports are now expected by mid-autumn 2025. Three lawyers ha...

16/07/2025

Advanced practice: what will NMC regulation mean for nurses?

The NMC’s principles for advanced practice aim to clarify roles and boost safety and could affect 50,000 nurses.

So what exactly is happening – and what changes will need to be overcome?

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has introduced principles for formally regulating advanced nursing and midwifery practice, aiming to clarify roles, ensure consistency and improve patient safety. With up to 50,000 nurses potentially affected, we look at how the NMC’s principles of advanced ...

16/07/2025

Nurse Sandie Peggie, who complained about a transgender doctor using a women’s changing room, was cleared of gross misconduct the day before resumption of her employment tribunal, her solicitor said.

The tribunal is set to continue for another 10 days.

A hospital nurse who complained about sharing a women’s changing room with a transgender doctor has been cleared of gross misconduct by NHS Fife 18 months after being suspended over allegations of bullying. Sandie Peggie has since lodged complaints of victimisation, indirect discrimination on the ...

15/07/2025

Revalidation with the NMC: how to complete reflective accounts

We look at how to record and submit accounts, and how nurses should prepare.

https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/careers/career-advice/revalidation-with-nmc-how-to-complete-reflective-accounts-215511

15/07/2025

A nurse with a ‘mountain of debt’ has been struck off after using a colleague‘s log-in to retrospectively assign herself bank shifts she had not worked.

She was paid almost £3,000 for the unworked shifts.

Nurse Jodie Hunter was stuck off the NMC register for claiming payments from her trust for shifts she had not worked. The sister used a colleague’s log-in details to retrospectively assign unworked bank shifts to herself. This placed the colleague, a senior ward sister, under suspicion and cost th...

14/07/2025

NHS nursing pay has been eroded to the point where starting salaries are £8,000 behind where they would be if they had kept pace with inflation, new research suggests.

The analysis found nursing staff on lower bands are the worst hit, with band 5 nurses seeing the biggest erosion of their wages since 2010.

Below-inflation pay rises in the past 15 years represent a cumulative loss of almost £70,000 for a band 5 nurse, RCN says as members ponder this year’s 3.6% pay award. College research lays bare the gap between what it believes nursing staff should have been awarded, and the pay rises they actual...

14/07/2025

Shoes for nursing shifts: how to choose the best footwear

This article for nursing students provides tips on avoiding foot pain on clinical placement, choosing the right shoes for a long shift, and daily habits to help you stay comfortable.

https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/students/shoes-for-nursing-shifts-how-to-choose-best-footwear-215346

12/07/2025

How do you keep cool at work when temperatures rise in the summer?

Get tips on how to make summer shifts more comfortable.

Being on shift in searing heat, in uniform and with little chance of a drink can make summer exhausting for nursing staff – but some simple actions can help