Nursing Standard

05/01/2026

A hospital has launched an award in memory of a senior nurse who died after being kicked in the chest by a horse.

The innovation and improvement award has been set up to honour the former chief nurse's ‘passion for continuous improvement and driving positive change’, and will be presented annually.

The Sam Young Innovation and Improvement Award remembers the former interim chief nursing officer at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Shropshire who died in June 2025. The inaugural award has been given to a health screening initiative which reduced last-minute cancellations and b...

04/01/2026

Toxic nurse leadership: do you have a bullying or critical boss?

Micromanaging, unsupportive leaders can create toxic teams, negatively impacting morale and patient care.

Find out what to do if your team is affected.

Micromanaging, unsupportive leaders can create toxic teams, negatively impacting morale and patient care. Find out what to do if your team is affected

04/01/2026

Do you know what you need to renew your NMC registration?

Revalidating with the NMC is something all nurses have to do every three years.

Here’s what it entails and what you need to prepare.

Every nurse must revalidate their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration every three years, but registrants are advised to make it part of their ongoing practice rather than leave it to the last minute. Our guide to revalidation includes what is expected of you, advice from the NMC on comm...

03/01/2026

What is NEWS2 and why is it important?

Find out everything you need to know about the NEWS2 tool and why clinical judgement is a crucial part of using it.

NEWS2 helps nurses and healthcare staff save lives by scoring signs of patient deterioration and standardising assessment, but cannot replace clinical judgement

03/01/2026

What does a nurse expert witness do – and how do I become one?

We look at the specialisms most in demand, the pay, and experience required.

Experienced nurses can offer their clinical expertise in legal cases to provide insights into nursing practice, and help-non-clinical professionals understand complex medical information. Being an expert witness also counts as participatory CPD for revalidation with the Nursing and Midwifery Council...

02/01/2026

Patient record-keeping: how to get it right

Record-keeping errors can have serious consequences for patient safety and many result in FtP proceedings.

Get advice on how to write concise and easy-to-read patient notes.

Record-keeping and documentation errors in nursing can have serious consequences for patient safety, and a significant number result in fitness to practise proceedings. Patient records are a key means of communication in healthcare teams and the NMC code requires nurses to be accurate, timely and ho...

01/01/2026

Happy new year!

Who was your unsung nursing hero of 2025, that person you work with who has your back and deserves recognition?

In this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, our guests tell us who they think should be applauded for the work they have done over the past 12 months.

🎧 Listen here >

The final Nursing Standard podcast episode of 2025 focuses on the unsung nursing heroes who deserve recognition for making the working lives of fellow nurses a little easier. From nursing lecturer to social care nursing leader, our podcast guests make their choices.

31/12/2025

‘It made me lose a little bit of hope on whether anything I was doing was doing any good’

Get advice from nurses who have come close to leaving the profession and how they reinvigorated their career:

Thinking of leaving the nursing profession? Advice from those who’ve been there on how to refresh your perspective and reinvigorate your career

31/12/2025

As we reach the end of 2025, we’re looking back at what nurses explored on RCNi this year - from trusted journalism and learning to events and Ask RCNi.

Thank you for being part of the RCNi community. We look forward to supporting you in 2026.

Not subscribed yet? Join RCNi Plus to support your learning, development and revalidation → https://rcni.com/rcniplus

30/12/2025

Nursing career decisions: stay at band 6 or move to band 7?

Find out more about the pros and cons of taking on senior nursing roles and what you need to get yourself ready to make the leap.

Progressing from a band 6 to band 7 nursing role is a big step that can be rewarding and enable nurses to lead teams and shape services. However, making the move can also involve a change in working hours, managerial responsibilities that take staff away from clinical care, and reduced access to fle...

29/12/2025

Congratulations to all the nurses recognised in the 2026 new year honours list.

Nurses working in mental health, intensive care, public health services, race equality and public protection, as well as nursing leaders and nurse specialists, are among those receiving honours.

Nurses from across the UK were named in the King's new year honours list for their outstanding commitment to patients and the profession. Those recognised include Northern Ireland’s chief nursing officer, a former NHS England regional chief nurse, a specialist nurse for thalassaemia, the chief exe...

29/12/2025

How nurses cope after trauma: ‘I’m a cryer – but I stopped crying’

A nurse who provided patient care following the knife attack in Southport in July discusses the profound effects of traumatic incidents.

A nurse who provided patient care following the knife attack in Southport in July, in which three girls were killed, discusses the profound effects of traumatic incidents on nursing staff and the heavy toll it can take on their mental health and well-being. Though there is no right way to process tr...