Alison While

Hearing the client voice

In the UK, ‘…there is no direct monetary relationship between the patient and the service provider, with all care being free at the point of delivery…As a consequence, satisfaction surveys of UK...

Minimising a ‘twindemic’

‘Alongside concerns about an autumn spike of COVID-19 infections, is the possibility of a major influenza epidemic arising from the lack of circulating influenza virus over the last 2 years due to...

The scourge of backache

‘There is a consistent gradient of higher rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders reported by both men and women aged 45 years and over compared to those aged 16-34 years. Higher rates of...

Failing hearts deserve attention

‘Most respondents (87%) in a recent survey did not know the symptoms of heart failure before they were diagnosed and 53% had not heard of the condition until they were diagnosed’. .

The importance of safety

‘The experience of fraud can have a major impact upon an older person, not only due to the financial loss, but also through the sense of shame and embarrassment and consequent anxiety which may...

Good leadership

The Messenger (2022) report referred to the NHS's ‘institutional inadequacy in the way that leadership and management is trained, developed and valued…it is…a federated ecosystem where complex...

Grief in older people

‘Complicated grief is more common in older adults, partly because they experience multiple losses which may accumulate over time, but also because they have fewer support and coping resources while...

Growing old in the UK

‘Community nurses should encourage older people to access healthcare when needed and support the re-establishment of normal behaviours to mitigate the risks of social isolation and loneliness so...

Does primary care need reform?

‘In England, there are 6 million people waiting for NHS care, including specialist mental health care, and referral to treatment waiting times are growing ever longer, with 63% of patients waiting...

The world has changed

Understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

‘Emphasising the social benefits of vaccination may reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, perhaps because it shifts attention away from the individual and to the collective good’ .

Assuring good deaths at home

‘It is to be hoped that “building back better” following the pandemic will include strategies to reduce social isolation, especially among the vulnerable and those at the end of their lives.’ .

Housing and older people: addressing the need

‘The post-pandemic challenge is to repair and rebuild the disrupted relationships and social lives of older people as a way of providing meaning and fulfilment and establishing healthy,...

Can integrated care deliver?

‘Integrated care, with collaborative working between and across health and social care services, was seen as the panacea to achieve improved outcomes and care quality, avoid unnecessary admissions...

Valuing the district nursing workforce