According to world Health Organisation (WHO, 2002) has defined sexual health as “…a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social wellbeing in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or infirmity”

According to House of Commons, 2019. They stated that Good sexual health is a vital aspect of overall health and wellbeing.

Part of human life, Sexuality is an integral part of human life. From infancy, we are conditioned for what our sexual life will be.

Touch, attachment and bonding, together with good guidance, love and caring early in life, prepare children for healthy sexual development and maturation. Stated by (WHO, 2002).

Some of the consequences of poor sexual health, according to PHE, 2019a, stated that:

• Unplanned pregnancies and abortions.
• Psychological consequences, including from sexual coercion and abuse.
• Poor educational, social and economic opportunities for teenage mothers, young fathers and their children.
• HIV transmission.
• Cervical and other genital cancers.
• Hepatitis, chronic liver disease and liver cancer.
• Recurrent genital herpes.
• Recurrent genital warts.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause ectopic pregnancies and infertility.
• Poorer maternity outcomes for mother and baby.

 

 

The figure below shows the total and percentages of new STI diagnosis as at 2020, according to PHE, 2022.

For chlamydia:

• Male: 70,581 -30%.
• Female: 99,674    -29%.
• Total: 161,672 -29%.

 

For gonorrhoea:

• Male: 40,743      -21%
• Female: 15,505 -19%
• Total: 57,084       -20%

 

 

Herpes: Ana genital herpes

Male:  7,078             -41%

Female:  13,094    -41%

Total: 20,530        -40%

 

For mycoplasma genitalium:

Male: 2,752      -25%

Female: 1,420    -14%

Total: 4,226       -21%

 

For the non-specific genital infection (NSGI):

Male: 14,046     -46%

Female: 1,494     -41%

Total:   15,705     45%

 

For pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID):

Male:  3,666   -42%

Female: 6,787   -31%

Total: 10,572     -35%

 

For gonococcal PID and Epididymitis:

Male: 160    -38%

Female: 342   -26%

Total: 512     -29%

 

For syphilis, primary, secondary, and early latent:

Male: 6,272   -14%

Female: 546   -19%

Total: 6,926   -14%

 

 

For warts, anogenital warts:

Male: 15, 636     47%

Female: 11,494      -45%

Total: 27,473   -46%

 

For other new STI diagnosis:

Male: 6,593    -43%

Female: 6,886   -43%

Total: 13,713    -43%

 

And for the new STI diagnoses – total:

Male: 167,367      -33%

Female: 145,904     – 32%

Total: 317,901   – 32%

 

 

Sexual and reproductive health and HIV health promotion strategy is to:

• Build knowledge and resilience.
• Prioritise prevention
• Provide rapid access to high quality services
• Maintain sexual health as people age.

 

They improve sexual health:

• Reduce inequalities and improve sexual health outcomes.
• Build an open and honest culture where everyone is able to make informed and responsible choices about relationships and sex.
• Recognise that sexual ill health can affect all parts of society, often when it is least expected.

 

Sexual health outcomes are as follows:

• Reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections
• Reduce unintended pregnancies
• Reduced rate of under 16 and under 18 conceptions
• Reduce onward HIV transmission, acquisition and avoidable deaths.

 

Some of the priorities are as follows:

• Reduce the burden of HIV infection by decreasing HIV incidence in the populations most at risk of new infection and reducing rates of late and undiagnosed HIV in the most affected communities.
• Reverse the rapid increase in STIs in populations most at risk of infection.
• Minimise the proportion of pregnancies that are unplanned.
• Reduce the rate of under 18 and under 16 conceptions as well as narrow the variation in rates across the country.

According to PHE, 2019a, the roles of a healthcare professional are described below:

• Provide a non-judgemental, empathetic approach to sexual health to create a safe and comfortable environment for the patient to discuss their needs.
• Know the needs of individuals, communities, and populations related to sexual health, reproductive health and HIV.
• Think about the resources and the services available in the health and wellbeing system to promote good sexual and reproductive health.
• Understand specific activities or interventions which can prevent poor sexual health, reproductive health and HIV.
• Utilise opportunities in different settings to provide sexual health, reproductive health and HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

 

The first set actions to be taken, according to (PHE, 2019a) are listed below:

• Reassuring individuals that they are entitled to confidential, non-judgemental access to information and services.
• Providing information about the full range of contraceptive methods and promoting prompt access to the method that best suits their needs.
• Ensuring that pregnant women needing an abortion have respectful, non-judgemental, easy, quick and confidential access to services
• Ensuring pregnant women have the option to discuss their pregnancy intentions, receive unbiased information, and access contraception and/or preconception care as appropriate
• Ensuring people understand the different STIs, associated potential consequences and how to protect themselves and partners from STI transmission; the Sex wise website provides a number of useful resources. NHS.UK provides useful information on STIs.

 

The second set of actions taken, according to (PHE, 2019a), included these actions:

• Providing information about where to get prompt access to HIV and STI testing and the full range of HIV prevention methods available.
• Ensuring people who are diagnosed with HIV receive prompt referral into care and high-quality treatment services.
• Using ‘making every contact count’ principles by initiating conversations about sexual and reproductive health, and HIV, in different health and non-health settings.
• Ensuring that people understand their right to healthy and non-coercive relationships, and those that do not have access to appropriate support.

To implementing these actions, the following should be met:

• Vaccines (HPV, Hep A, Hep B)
• Partner Notification/Contact Tracing
• Regular testing (at least yearly)
• Undetectable = Untransmissible
• Long Acting Reversible Contraception
• Motivational Interviewing
• Condom Distribution Scheme – Community testing sites
• Outreach too hard to reach populations
• Contextual Safeguarding.

 

We looked at Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), according to WHO, 2020:

Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Has no health benefits, only harm.

 

Department of Health, 2016. FGM is not an issue that can be decided on by personal preference – it is an illegal, extremely harmful practice and a form of child abuse and violence against women and girls.

According to NSPCC, 2021. The following are the signs that GFM might happen:

• A relative or someone known as a ‘cutter’ visiting from abroad.
• A special occasion or ceremony takes place where a girl ‘becomes a woman’ or is ‘prepared for marriage’.
• A female relative, like a mother, sister or aunt has undergone FGM.
• A family arranges a long holiday overseas or visits a family abroad during the summer holidays.
• A girl has an unexpected or long absence from school.
• A girl struggles to keep up in school.
• A girl runs away – or plans to run away – from home.

 

Signs that GFM has happened:

• Having difficulty walking, standing or sitting.
• Spending longer in the bathroom or toilet.
• Appearing quiet, anxious or depressed.
• Acting differently after an absence from school or college.
• Reluctance to go to the doctors or have routine medical examinations.
• Asking for help – though they might not be explicit about the problem because they’re scared or embarrassed.

 

 

 

 

KBS ADDRESSED.

KNOWLEDGE:

 

K1: Understand the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC 2018), and how to fulfil all registration requirements.

 

K2: Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.

K3: Understand the professional responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the level of personal fitness and well-being required to meet people’s needs for mental and physical care.

K4: Understand the principles of research and how research findings are used to inform evidence-based practice.

K5: Understand the meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on an individual’s ability to provide care.

K6: Understand and apply relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice.

K7: Understand the importance of courage and transparency and apply the Duty of Candour

K8: Understand how discriminatory behaviour is exhibited.

K9: Understand the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people.

 

K10: Understand the principles of epidemiology, demography, and genomics and how these may influence health and well-being outcomes.

 

K11: Understand the factors that may lead to inequalities in health outcomes.

 

K12: Understand the importance of early years and childhood experiences and the possible impact on life choices, mental, physical, and behavioural health, and well-being.

 

K13: Understand the contribution of social influences, health literacy, individual circumstances, behaviours, and lifestyle choices to mental, physical, and behavioural health outcomes.

K14: Understand the importance of health screening.

K15: Understand human development from conception to death, to enable delivery of person-centred safe and effective care.

K16: Understand body systems and homeostasis, human anatomy and physiology, biology, genomics, pharmacology, social and behavioural sciences as applied to delivery of care.

K17: Understand commonly encountered mental, physical, behavioural, and cognitive health conditions as applied to delivery of care.

K18: Understand and apply the principles and processes for making reasonable adjustments.

K19: Know how and when to escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice.

K20: Know how people’s needs for safety, dignity, privacy, comfort, and sleep can be met.

K24: Know how to support people with commonly encountered symptoms including anxiety, confusion, discomfort, and pain.

K30: Understand the principles of health and safety legislation and regulations and maintain safe work and care environments.

K33: Understand when to seek appropriate advice to manage a risk and avoid compromising quality of care and health outcomes.

K36: Understand the roles of the different providers of health and care.

K39: Understand the principles and processes involved in supporting people and families with a range of care needs to maintain optimal independence and avoid unnecessary interventions and disruptions to their lives.

K40: Understand own role and contribution when involved in the care of a person who is undergoing discharge or a transition of care between professionals, settings, or services.

K41: Know the roles, responsibilities, and scope of practice of different members of the nursing and interdisciplinary team, and own role within it.

K43: Understand the influence of policy and political drivers that impact health and care provision.

 

 

SKILLS:

 

S1: Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements.

 

S5: Safely demonstrate evidence-based practice in all skills and procedures required for entry to the register: Standards of proficiency for nursing associates Annex A & B (NMC 2018).

 

S7: Communicate effectively using a range of skills and strategies with colleagues and people at all stages of life and with a range of mental, physical, cognitive, and behavioural health challenges.

 

S8: Recognise signs of vulnerability in self or colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.

S9: Develop, manage, and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers, and colleagues.

S13: Apply the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people.

S14: Promote preventive health behaviours and provide information to support people to make informed choices to improve their mental, physical, behavioural health and wellbeing.

S15: Identify people who are eligible for health screening.

S16: Promote health and prevent ill health by understanding the evidence base for immunisation, vaccination, and herd immunity. Accurately undertake risk assessments, using contemporary assessment tools

S35: Accurately undertake risk assessments, using contemporary assessment tools.

 

 

 

BEHAVIOUR:

 

B1: Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy, and preferences.

 

B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice.

 

B3: Be adaptable, reliable, and consistent, show discretion, resilience, and self-awareness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17/05/23.

Mental Health Promotion Across the Lifespan. we looked the meaning of mental health and mental illness.

 

Mental health is the state in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities and can cope with the normal stresses of life. Can work productively and frequently and is able to contribute to his or her community.

 

Mental illness- condition involving changes in emotions, thinking, or behaviors. Has formal diagnosis, example: psychosis, personality disorder, acute disease, Huntington disease to name but a few.

Good mental health – influences how we think, perceive, and feel about ourselves and others, and how we interpret event.

 

According to mental health foundation, mental health is defined capacity as how the individual feels, expresses and manage a range of positive and negative emotions.

To communicate, form and maintain good relationship with others.

To cope, manage change and uncertainty, transition, and life events.

 

Looking at the positive factors affecting good mental health:

• Good social support – positive relationship.
• Exercise – physical health.
• Diet – take time to eat well.
• Sleep – be sure to get enough sleep.
• Sharing – talking and feelings.

 

I learnt that mental illness is mostly a foundation in childhood, the productivity, social activity, high levels of satisfaction(self-esteem) and self-care.

 

Looking at the negative factors affecting mental health:

• Abuse, trauma, neglect (in childhood).
• Isolation/not engaging.
• Loneliness/lack of support.
• Self-neglect.
• Life stress.
• Poor coping.
• Work life balance.
• Chronic physical illness.

The major causes of psychiatric disorder are stress and vulnerability.

Social prescribing – healthcare professionals sick to address the non-medical causes of ill health with non-medical interventions. Helping people access healthcare, social support, and holistic care.

The bio-psychosocial model of illness encourages healthcare practitioners to think beyond anatomy and physiology to consider how the interplay of mind, body, and social circumstances affect health and well-being.

The ways to well-being:

• Be positive, keep learning, (keep your mind busy).
• Connect – be interactive (interact with others/socialize)
• Take notice – be conscious of yourself.
• Give – share.

 

 

We had discussion on DEMENTIA. We say dementia is a degenerative disease, cognitive impairment, neurological, multiple impacts, personality behavior, aggressive to name but a few. It is associated with thoughts, confusion, frustration, anxious/ reassurance, focus and understanding, short term memory distress to name but a few. The types of dementia are:

• Alzheimer’s
• Vascular
• Front -temporal.
• Mixed
• Lewy body.
• Early onset, and
• Parkinson.

Alzheimer’s dementia, 60% is diagnose at age 65. Its base around thinking, reasoning, new learning/memory.

It builds up with abnormal protein, and there are different stages from 1 – 7.

20% of people with Alzheimer will experience increased confusion anxiety, and aggression beginning late in the day.

Vascular dementia is the common type that caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. Result of a stroke, smoking, alcohol intake, saturated fats, diabetes, hypertension.

The symptoms are:

• slow thinking.
• confusion
• Change in mood or behavior.

The average life expectancy is 3 years after diagnosis. This is because vascular dementia affects the brain, and the brain affects every aspect of life.

The behavior associated with vascular dementia are:

• Agitation or aggression.
• Sleep difficulties.
• Verbal and physical aggression.
• Wandering

 

The Lewy body dementia is like Parkinson dementia.

• It builds up protein in the brain.
• The life expectancy is 5-7 years.
• Sleeplessness
• Confusion

 

The young or early onset dementia, diagnose at the average age of 30 – 40 years.

Its symptoms are like Alzheimer’s. Deterioration is more rapid. The behaviors associated with early onset dementia are:

• Increased agitation.
• Aggression
• Delusions.
• Hallucination
• Mobility
• Wandering to name but a few.

I learnt about sundowning that 20% of people with Alzheimer’s will experience increased confusion, anxiety, and agitation beginning late in the day.

The following should be considered to prevent dementia:

• Vitamins and minerals.
• Monitoring healthy BMI
• Social activities.
• Sleep

To live well with Dementia these should be considered:

• Interaction
• Activities – what they enjoy doing.
• Diet and Nutrition
• Routine and home environment – dementia friendly.

 

KSB ADDRESSED.

KNOWLEDGE:

 

K1: Understand the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC 2018), and how to fulfil all registration requirements.

K2: Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.

K3: Understand the professional responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the level of personal fitness and well-being required to meet people’s needs for mental and physical care.

K4: Understand the principles of research and how research findings are used to inform evidence-based practice.

K5: Understand the meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on an individual’s ability to provide care.

K6: Understand and apply relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice.

K7: Understand the importance of courage and transparency and apply the Duty of Candour

K8: Understand how discriminatory behaviour is exhibited.

K9: Understand the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people.

K10: Understand the principles of epidemiology, demography, and genomics and how these may influence health and well-being outcomes.

K11: Understand the factors that may lead to inequalities in health outcomes.

K12: Understand the importance of early years and childhood experiences and the possible impact on life choices, mental, physical, and behavioural health, and well-being.

K13: Understand the contribution of social influences, health literacy, individual circumstances, behaviours, and lifestyle choices to mental, physical, and behavioural health outcomes.

K14: Understand the importance of health screening.

K15: Understand human development from conception to death, to enable delivery of person-centred safe and effective care.

K16: Understand body systems and homeostasis, human anatomy and physiology, biology, genomics, pharmacology, social and behavioural sciences as applied to delivery of care.

K17: Understand commonly encountered mental, physical, behavioural, and cognitive health conditions as applied to delivery of care.

K18: Understand and apply the principles and processes for making reasonable adjustments.

K19: Know how and when to escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice.

K20: Know how people’s needs for safety, dignity, privacy, comfort, and sleep can be met.

K24: Know how to support people with commonly encountered symptoms including anxiety, confusion, discomfort, and pain.

K30: Understand the principles of health and safety legislation and regulations and maintain safe work and care environments.

K33: Understand when to seek appropriate advice to manage a risk and avoid compromising quality of care and health outcomes.

K36: Understand the roles of the different providers of health and care.

K39: Understand the principles and processes involved in supporting people and families with a range of care needs to maintain optimal independence and avoid unnecessary interventions and disruptions to their lives.

K40: Understand own role and contribution when involved in the care of a person who is undergoing discharge or a transition of care between professionals, settings, or services.

K41: Know the roles, responsibilities, and scope of practice of different members of the nursing and interdisciplinary team, and own role within it.

K43: Understand the influence of policy and political drivers that impact health and care provision.

 

 

SKILLS:

 

S1: Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements.

S5: Safely demonstrate evidence-based practice in all skills and procedures required for entry to the register: Standards of proficiency for nursing associates Annex A & B (NMC 2018).

S7: Communicate effectively using a range of skills and strategies with colleagues and people at all stages of life and with a range of mental, physical, cognitive, and behavioural health challenges.

S8: Recognise signs of vulnerability in self or colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.

S9: Develop, manage, and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers, and colleagues.

S13: Apply the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people.

S14: Promote preventive health behaviours and provide information to support people to make informed choices to improve their mental, physical, behavioural health and wellbeing.

S15: Identify people who are eligible for health screening.

S16: Promote health and prevent ill health by understanding the evidence base for immunisation, vaccination, and herd immunity. Accurately undertake risk assessments, using contemporary assessment tools

S35: Accurately undertake risk assessments, using contemporary assessment tools.

 

 

 

BEHAVIOUR:

 

B1: Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy, and preferences.

B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice.

B3: Be adaptable, reliable, and consistent, show discretion, resilience, and self-awareness.

 

 

Equality, Diversity, and inclusivity.

 

The lesson started with different views on equality and what it’s meant to me. It is an equal society as one that ‘protects and promotes equal, real freedom and substantive opportunity to live in the ways people value and would choose, so that everyone can flourish’.

Equality also means protecting people’s characteristic (their disabilities, equal opportunities)

 

According to (Equalities review panel, 2007) an equal society recognises people’s different needs, situation and goals and removes the barriers that limit what people can do and can be’.

Equality means everyone having the same chances to do what they can. Some may need extra help to get the same chance.

Equality is not about treating everyone the same, but making sure people are treated fairly, meeting individual’s needs appropriately and changing the factors that limit individual’s opportunities.

 

We looked at the word ‘diversity’ and what it meant. According to (RCN, 2019) Diversity recognises and celebrates our differences as individuals, but also recognises the common needs that unite us, including the needs for good health and social care service when we need them. Diversity means ensuring that many different types of people contribute to society. According the NMC Code (2018) 1.3 to avoid making assumptions and recognise diversity and individual choice. The NMC standards of proficiency 1.14 provide and promote non-discriminatory, person always centred and sensitive care, reflecting on people’s values and beliefs, diverse backgrounds, cultural characteristics, language requirements, needs and preferences, taking account of any need for adjustments.

 

We looked the word ‘Inclusivity’ and what it meant. The idea of inclusion is based on the belief that all people in society are entitled to share in society’s benefits and resources. It means that people who in the past have been placed at the margins of society should live as part of their communities, benefit from the facilities many of us take for granted and share the services (including health services) that all other people use. (RCN, 2019)’

 

Inclusivity also means involving everyone, to make people feel confident, embracing people’s values, protected characteristics, developing a feeling of belongingness, and to diminish barriers. Barriers can be language barrier, lack of training, difficulty in understanding the system, stereotyping to name but a few.

Inclusion is ‘being included within either a group or society as a whole’. Inclusion links with diversity and equality. It is important to understand someone’s differences so that you can include them and treat them equally and fairly. People can feel excluded if they are not able to join with activities.

 

We looked at how it will affect Healthcare. Healthcare workers should be able to address barriers to healthcare that may disadvantage individuals because of their specific characteristics, as all individuals should experience equal satisfaction of certain common rights and needs.

 

The loss of dignity in care that is experienced among diverse populations indicates that not all healthcare recognises the inherent and equal dignity of all human beings, nor do they value their diversity.

We looked at the Prejudice. If healthcare staff make judgements, because of personal biases, about those they care for, they may fail to see each as a unique human being, resulting in prejudice in care delivery. The word prejudice means ‘to pre-judge’, rather than approaching each person as an individual. Often, prejudice results from stereotyping, which is the assignment of attributes to somebody because they are a member of a particular group.

 

I learnt about the types of discrimination:

• Direct discrimination – where a person is discriminated against because of a protected characteristic or treated less favourably than others.
• Combined discrimination- the combination of two protected characteristics, a person is treated les favourably than those who do not share either of those characteristics.
• Indirect discrimination-when rules, polices, and procedures have a worse impact on people who share a particular characteristic than on people who do not share characteristic.
• Discrimination by association- treating someone worse than someone else because they are associated with a person who has a protected characteristic.

 

 

 

Disability is defined as a society, there are 2 definitions that have being developed for disability. These are known as the medical model of disability and the social model of disability. In sort, the medical model focuses on the disability as the problem, whereas the social model focuses on the environment as the problem.

 

It is important to note that not all disabilities are visible. Most understandings surrounding disability arise from the assumption that a person’s disability will be visible when hundreds of disabilities, such as, mental health problems, sensory impairments, and some mobility impairments have no visible symptoms.

 

I learnt the following:

• Discriminatory behaviour of healthcare workers can diminish the dignity of people accessing healthcare.
• Healthcare workers needs to recognise and value the diversity of those they care for, and endeavour to reduce inequalities in healthcare and experiences.
• Equality, diversity, and human rights are important to everyone working in health and social care, for patients and for service users.
• We all have a role to make sure that services are accessible and that everyone has a positive and inclusive experience.
• In the workplace we also need to think about inclusion and recognise the diversity of those we work with, ensuring that they feel valued and respected.
• Think about what you can do to promote values and behaviours advancing equality, diversity, and human rights in the work that you do.

 

 

 

 

 

KBS ADDRESSED.

 

KNOWLEDGE:

K1: Understand the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC 2018), and how to fulfil all registration requirements.

K2: Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.

K3: Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.

K4: Understand the principles of research and how research findings are used to inform evidence-based practice.

K5: Understand the meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on an individual’s ability to provide care.

K6: Understand and apply relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice.

K7: Understand the importance of courage and transparency and apply the Duty of Candour

K8: Understand how discriminatory behaviour is exhibited.

K12: Understand the importance of early years and childhood experiences and the possible impact on life choices, mental, physical, and behavioural health, and well-being.

K20: Know how people’s needs for safety, dignity, privacy, comfort, and sleep can be met.

K26: Understand where and how to seek guidance and support from others to ensure that the best interests of those receiving care are upheld.

K30: Understand the principles of health and safety legislation and regulations and maintain safe work and care environments.

K33: Understand when to seek appropriate advice to manage a risk and avoid compromising quality of care and health outcomes.

K34: Know and understand strategies to develop resilience in self and know how to seek support to help deal with uncertain situations.

K36: Understand the roles of the different providers of health and care.

K41: Know the roles, responsibilities, and scope of practice of different members of the nursing and interdisciplinary team, and own role within it.

 

 

 

S1: Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements.

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills.

 

 

B1: Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy, and preferences.

B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice.

B3: Be adaptable, reliable, and consistent, show discretion, resilience, and self-awareness.

 

The following are the ethical principles:

Autonomy – The right of the patient to involve in shared decision making.

Beneficence – Related to doing good.

Non-maleficence – Related to doing no harm.

Justice – Equitable to the distribution of nursing interventions.

 

Accountability: according to the NMC Code (2018) 11 states that be accountable for your decisions to delegate tasks and duties to other people.

To achieve this, you must:

• Only delegate tasks and duties that are within the other person’s scope of competence, making sure that they fully understand your instructions.
• Make sure that everyone you delegate tasks to is adequately supervised and supported so they can provide safe and compassionate care.
• Confirm that the outcome of any task you have delegated to someone else meets the required standard.

 

Accountability, according to pennels, 1997 is a requirement that each nurse is answerable and responsible for the outcome of his or her professional actions.

According to cornock, 2011, to be accountable, a nurse should:

• Have the freedom (autonomy) and authority to be able to make a professional judgement on which actions to take.
• Based on their knowledge of the possible options and consequences of each.
• A registered nurse is accountable to a number of people and organizations when making a professional judgement.
• The Purpose is to ensure that the public and patients are not harmed and to provide redress for those who have been harmed.

I learnt about the difference between accountability and responsibility:

• Responsibility relates to the acceptance and carrying out of a task or duty within a person’s sphere of competence.
• Accountability can be defined as being required or expected to justify actions or decisions

(Sharples and Elcock, 2011).

• An individual has to ‘account’ to a person or an organization for their actions, omissions and decisions in carrying out a duty or task.
• In nursing, the question of to whom you are accountable will depend on whether you are a registered nurse or a student.

We further on discuss who is accountable and to whom. As a nurse, nurses are accountable to:

• The Public
• The Employer
• The Patient
• The Profession

Don’t forget, you are also accountable to yourself

• Through criminal law
• Through contract law
• Through duty of care and tort of negligence
• Through the Code of Professional Conduct.

As a student nurse, learning in practice will take place under the supervision of a registered nurse or other professional.

The registered nurse will:

• Assess your level of competence, knowledge and understanding before delegating a task or activity. It is very important that you inform the nurse if you feel any task delegated to you is beyond your level of competence.
• The registered nurse will remain accountable for the overall care to be delivered. If you accept responsibility for the tasks delegated to you, you will then become accountable for your actions, omissions and decisions in performing those tasks (RCN, 2017).

As a student, you can be held to account by:

• The university.
• The law, through your duty of care.

In addition;

• As a student, you are not accountable to the NMC; however, an ability to demonstrate compliance with the NMC Code throughout your course is essential and this will be monitored by the university.
• On successful completion of your course, your university will sign a declaration to the NMC that you are of good health and good character sufficient to practice without supervision.
• This supports your own self-declaration of good health and character when you apply to register with the NMC.

The following are professional misconducts. If found guilty of Professional Misconduct:

• Judgement may be postponed.
• Referral may be made.
• The nurse may be suspended.
• The nurse may be cautioned.
• The nurse may be removed from the Register.

Consent is a general legal and ethical principle that valid consent must be obtained before commencing an examination, starting treatment or physical investigation, or providing care.

This principle reflects the rights of a person to determine what happens to their own bodies or what shapes the care and support they receive.

According to Griffiths and Tengnah (2017), touching a person without consent is generally unlawful and will amount to trespass to the person or, more rarely, a criminal assault- therefore it has a legal purpose.

• The clinical purpose comes from the fact that in most cases the co-operation of the person and the person’s confidence in the treatment is a major factor in their consenting to the examination, treatment or physical investigation, or the provision of care.
• Permission to touch a patient through obtaining consent is an important defence to a claim of unlawful touching.
• When giving consent for a procedure, patients are entitled to expect that the nurse is qualified to carry it out.

 

Additional considerations can be in the form of valid consent and capacity to consent.

 

Valid Consent:

• For consent to be valid, it must be given voluntarily and freely, without pressure or undue influence, by an appropriately informed person who has the capacity to consent to the intervention in question.
• Some people may feel pressurized, by relatives or carers for example, to accept a particular investigation or treatment.
• Registered nurses should be aware of this, and of other situations in which people might be vulnerable, for example, those resident in a care home, or in prison.

 

Capacity to consent:

• Principles underpinning UK mental health legislation and mental capacity legislation support “assumption of capacity”
• That is, adults are presumed to have the ability to independently make decisions about and decide whether to agree to or refuse any aspect of their care, treatment and/or support.
• A person who has capacity is able to provide or withhold consent for examination, treatment and/or care.
• If an adult makes a voluntary and appropriately informed decision to refuse care, treatment and/or support, then registered nurses must respect this decision.

 

An individual can only be regarded as “lacking capacity” and unable to independently make decision regarding their care, treatments, or support. Only deemed as such if all practicable help and support has been provided.

 

The 4-point test of capacity:

–  Is the person able to understand the information relevant to the decision?

–  Is the person able to retain that information for the time required to make the decision?

– Is the person able to appreciate the relevance of that information and to use and weigh the information as part of the process of making the decision?

–  Is the person able to communicate their decision (whether by talking, using sign language or any other means?)

If the answer to any question is no, then the person can be deemed to lack capacity

Whether the person has a particular condition is irrelevant to the question of whether they have capacity to make decisions in any matter.

 

For young people and consent, the following were mentioned:

• A young person under the age of 16 has the legal capacity to consent to medical examination and treatment, including contraception, if they have sufficient maturity and intelligence to understand the nature and the implications of that treatment.
• If a child is considered mature and intelligent by the nurse, they are known as Gillick Competent.
• The aim of the Gillick principle is to reflect the transition from child to adult.
• The degree of maturity depends on the gravity of the decision.
• Consent cannot be overruled by a parent.

 

For confidentiality, Individuals have the right to expect that any information they provide is used only for the purpose for which it was given and not disclosed without their permission.

• The nurse must keep this information confidential, no matter whether the patient has given the information or if the information was obtained from someone else – a family member, for example.
• The exception to this would be if you believed someone may be at risk of harm.

 

 

 

KSB ADDRESSED.

KNOWLEDGE:

 

K1: Understand the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC 2018), and how to fulfil all registration requirements.

K2: Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.

K3: Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health.

K4: Understand the principles of research and how research findings are used to inform evidence-based practice.

K5: Understand the meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on an individual’s ability to provide care.

K6: Understand and apply relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice.

K7: Understand the importance of courage and transparency and apply the Duty of Candour

K8: Understand how discriminatory behaviour is exhibited.

K12: Understand the importance of early years and childhood experiences and the possible impact on life choices, mental, physical, and behavioural health, and well-being.

K20: Know how people’s needs for safety, dignity, privacy, comfort, and sleep can be met.

K26: Understand where and how to seek guidance and support from others to ensure that the best interests of those receiving care are upheld.

K30: Understand the principles of health and safety legislation and regulations and maintain safe work and care environments.

K33: Understand when to seek appropriate advice to manage a risk and avoid compromising quality of care and health outcomes.

K34: Know and understand strategies to develop resilience in self and know how to seek support to help deal with uncertain situations.

K36: Understand the roles of the different providers of health and care.

K41: Know the roles, responsibilities, and scope of practice of different members of the nursing and interdisciplinary team, and own role within it.

 

 

SKILLS:

S1: Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements.

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills.

 

 

 

BEHAVIOURS:

B1: Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy, and preferences.

B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice.

B3: Be adaptable, reliable, and consistent, show discretion, resilience, and self-awareness.

Pharmacology is the science of drugs and how they act, including the search for new drugs, investigations into how they can best be used to treat disease, and their effects on the body.

I learnt what pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are. Pharmacokinetics refers to what the body does to the drugs. That is:

– Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

– Bioavailability

– Therapeutic range

– Half-life

– Peak-plasma concentrations

Pharmacodynamics – what the drugs do to the body:

– The drugs acting at receptors

– The drugs acting on enzymes

– The drugs acting on transporters.

With all the above explanation, pharmacology is defined as the science that examines the composition, effects, and uses of drugs.

Pharmacology is how the body process the drugs and it is broken down into four stages:

– Absorption – how the medication will get in?

– Distribution – where will the medication go? Transporters.

– Metabolism – how is it broken down? liver

– Excretion- how does the medication leave the body?

The route of medication is categorised into 3:

– Enteral, through the gastrointestinal tract, through the portal circulation and through the liver (oral, sublingual, buccal or rectal route)

– Parental, through IV, IM, or subcutaneous administration.

– Topical, application of a medication directly to a site, (cream, inhalations, oral rinses)

The first metabolism: the absorbed drugs then pass directly to the liver via hepatic portal vein.

Any drug taken orally will reach the liver first before reaching the systemic circulation.

A large proportion of oral drugs will be chemically altered during this ‘FIRST PASS’ through the liver.

Little drug may reach the systemic circulation.

The following are the routes that avoid first pass metabolism:

– Sublingual

– Intravenous

– Intra-muscular

– Subcutaneous

– Transdermal patches

– Rectal suppositories,

– Buccal

The distribution is the process of dispersion or dissemination of drugs throughout the fluids and tissues of the body.

Drugs are not evenly distributed through tissue and fluids.

– Fat soluble drugs will concentrate in adipose tissue

– Water soluble will concentrate in the body water.

Blood –brain barrier prevents many drugs from crossing.

Metabolism is the process which biochemically changes the drug molecule into a different form, which may be active, inactive, or more soluble.

It occurs mainly in the liver.

Metabolism converts the molecule into a water –soluble substance that is readily excreted.

More soluble substances can be excreted more readily.

The excretion is the removal of waste products from the body.

The main organs of excretion are the kidneys, although the liver and the gut also pass through the process of filtration, reabsorption, and active secretion in the renal tubules and are then excreted in the urine.

Some other drugs are excreted into the biliary system of the liver and pass into the small intestine in bile, these are then passed into faeces.

In maintaining therapeutic concentration, the following should be considered:

– To maintain concentrations within the therapeutic range, repeated doses are administered to ensure that concentration rises and remains within the zone as the successive doses overlap.

– The timing of these doses is decided by the half-life of the drug.

– Half-life: the time taken for the plasma concentration of the drug to fall by half as it is distributed through the body and then metabolised or excreted from the body.

The following that affects pharmacokinetics:

– Disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract (vomiting, diarrhoea)

– Circulatory disorders

– Liver disorders

– Kidney disorders

– Interaction between drugs that can affect their activity in the body.

We looked at pharmacodynamics- what the drugs do to the body: the study of biochemical and physiological effects on the body. The 2 common binding sites for drugs:

– Receptors

– Enzymes.

These are the drugs acting at receptors:

– Many drugs’ receptors are protein molecules on the cell surface.

– The drug molecule must be the specific size and shape to interact with the precise receptor lock and key)

The drugs that acting at receptors are as follows:

Agonist:

– Chemical that binds to a receptor and activates it to produce a response.

– Most drugs acting at receptors are agonists.

Antagonist:

– Chemical that binds to a receptor but does not produce a response.

– Block the receptor so that an agonist cannot exert its effect.

Partial agonist:

– Chemical that binds to a receptor to produce a response but has less than maximum impact.

Drugs acting on enzymes – enzymes are chemicals that speed up chemical reactions within cells.

Some drugs act as enzyme inhibitors by binding to the enzyme to decrease its activity.

 

 

KSB ADDRESSED.

 

KNOWLEDGE.

 

K10: Understand the principles of epidemiology, demography, and genomics and how these may influence health and well-being outcomes.

K11: Understand the factors that may lead to inequalities in health outcomes.

K15: Understand human development from conception to death, to enable delivery of person-centred safe and effective care.

K16: Understand body systems and homeostasis, human anatomy and physiology, biology, genomics, pharmacology, social and behavioural sciences as applied to delivery of care.

K17: Understand commonly encountered mental, physical, behavioural, and cognitive health conditions as applied to delivery of care.

K22: Know how to meet people’s needs related to nutrition, hydration and bladder and bowel health.

K23: Know how to meet people’s needs related to mobility, hygiene, oral care, wound care, and skin integrity.

K24: Know how to support people with commonly encountered symptoms including anxiety, confusion, and pain.

K28: Understand the effects of medicines, allergies, drug sensitivity, side effects, contraindications, and adverse reactions.

 

SKILLS

S1: Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements.

S17: Protect health through understanding and applying the principles of infection prevention and control, including communicable disease surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship and resistance.

 

BEHAVIOUR

 

B1: Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy, and preferences.

B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice.

B3: Be adaptable, reliable, and consistent, show discretion, resilience, and self-awareness.

 

The lesson started, with a gentle reminder of the sensitive topic that we are to be kind to our colleagues, to express our views calmly, we are all individuals and must respect one another.

If affected by any of the topics covered (pregnancy, fatal development, fertility, FGM and sex) please feel free to take a small break and re-join us when you are able to.

The lesson continued with the reproductive anatomy of both male and female.

The female Reproductive Anatomy:

• External Genitalia
• Internal Genitalia
• Reproductive Cycle
• Breasts

The male Reproductive Anatomy:

• Scrotum, Testes, Seminal Vesicles, Ejaculatory ducts, Prostate gland, Urethra
• Penis – Erection & Ejaculation.

 

We looked at sex and gender. According to Boore et al 2021, they stated that “Sex refers to the biological composition of male and female, in the historically accepted sense. Gender is the social expression of the sense of being female, for example and is largely socially, culturally, and psychologically determined.”

 

The functions of the female reproductive system include:

• Formation of Ova
• Reception of Spermatozoa
• Provision of suitable environments for fertilisation and foetal development
• Parturition (childbirth)
• Lactation (Production of breastmilk)

The structure and function in closer details:

The Vagina:

• Fibromuscular tube
• Opens into the vestibule at its distal end and the uterine cervix at its proximal end.
• It runs upwards and backwards at approximately a 45-degree angle.

 

Functions:

• Acts as the receptacle for the penis during sexual intercourse
• Provide an elastic passageway for the baby during childbirth.

 

 

The uterus:

• Hollow, muscular pear shaped organ
• Lies in pelvic cavity between the urinary bladder and the rectum
• Sits almost at right angles to vagina
• Anterior wall rests partly on bladder below
• 5 cm long; 5cm wide
• Weighs between 30-40g

Fundus:

• Dome shaped part above the openings of the uterine tubes

 

Body:

• Upper 2/3rds of the uterus
• Pear-shaped.

 

Cervix:

• Narrow neck of the uterus
• Usually around 2.5cm long.

 

A series of ligaments keep the uterus in place.

The perimetrium is the layer of peritoneum that covers the uterus, uterine tubes and ovaries like a blanket.

The myometrium is the thickest layer in the uterine wall.

Mass of smooth muscles interlaced with blood vessels and nerves.

 

The endometrium is the functional layer that:

• Thickens and becomes rich in blood vessels in the first half of the menstrual cycle.
• If the ovum is not fertilised this layer is shed during menstruation.

 

 

 

 

 

The basal layer is the Sits next to the myometrium and is not lost during menstruation.

The fallopian Tubes –

The Structure:

• 10cm long
• Each tube has finger like projections (Fimbriae)
• Covered with peritoneum
• Lined with ciliated epithelium.

 

The Function:

• Propel ovum from the ovary using peristalsis and ciliary movement
• Fertilisation occurs, zygote propelled to uterus for implantation.

 

The function of the ovary:

• To produce ova
• To produce the female steroid hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

 

The two ovaries:

• Develop from embryonic gonadal ridges at 6 weeks of embryological development.
• Recognisable >10 weeks
• Composed of interstitial tissue and follicles
• Measure 3cm x 2cm x 1cm
• Weigh 6 grams.

 

The female reproductive cycle:

• It occurs every 26-30 days from puberty – menopause
• Consists of changes taking place concurrently in both ovaries  + uterine lining
• Stimulated by changes to blood hormone levels
• Hormones are regulated by negative feedback mechanisms.

 

The menstrual phase of the reproductive cycle:

• The functional layer of endothelium is shed
• Mostly lasts from 4-7 days (depending on length of cycle)
• Progesterone and oestrogen levels fall
• If the ovum is not fertilised = corpus luteum degenerates
• Painful cramping of the uterus
• Excessive pain = dysmenorrhea
• Can be a sign of endometriosis.

 

 

The Proliferative Phase of the reproductive cycle: Usually lasts 10 days

• One or more ovarian follicles are stimulated by FSH and grow towards maturity.
• They are producing oestrogen which stimulates the proliferation of a functional layer in the endometrium in preparation to receive a fertilised ovum.
• Rising levels of oestrogen stimulate a surge in LH which triggers ovulation
• One follicle will rupture releasing an ovum which is now called an oocyte.

 

The secretory phase of the reproductive cycle. Usually lasting 14 days.

• After ovulation LH from the anterior pituitary gland stimulates development of the corpus luteum from the ruptured follicle.
• The corpus luteum produces progesterone, oestrogen and inhibin.
• Progesterone increases production by secretory glands of watery mucous to assist the spermatozoa through the uterus to uterine tubes where the ovum is usually fertilised.
• After ovulation the combination of oestrogen and progesterone supress the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary gland, and therefore FSH and LH levels fall.

 

Ovum Fertilised:

• No menstruation
• The fertilised ovum (zygote) travels down the uterine tube and embeds into the uterine lining, where it produces hCG
• hCG keeps the corpus luteum intact enabling the continued secretion of progesterone and oestrogen for the first 3-4 months of pregnancy. This ensures no further ovum are release
• When developed the placenta continues to produce oestrogen, progesterone, and gonadotrophins.

 

Anatomy of the female breast:

Growth initiated in puberty by an increase in hormones. The hormones are as follows:

• Oestrogen

Where are these hormone made? In the

• Ovaries
• Small amount in the adrenal glands.

 

What do they do specifically?

• The Oestrogen encourages growth of the milk ducts
• The Progesterone stimulates the lobules to prepare for lactation.

The following are the abnormalities:

• If a woman notices any changes out of the ordinary to her breasts or external genitalia = refer to the GP and practice nurse.
• Document findings clearly, draw a diagram if possible (only if observed).
• Refer to a sexual health clinic if lesions/discharge/growths detected in external genitalia.

 

We also looked at Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), that the:

• Female Genital Mutilation is illegal in the UK.
• There are different types of mutilation (Type I,II,III0
• The practice causes serious harm to female genitalia leading to a host of health problems.
• As a nurse you must document the occurrence refer onwards to the GP and an FGM clinic (especially if the woman is of childbearing age).

 

The male reproductive system and its functions. The function of this system are:

• Production, maturation and storage of spermatozoa
• Delivery of spermatozoa into the female reproductive tract
• Urethra is the passageway for urine excretion.

 

The sperm.

The head of the sperm:

• Almost completely filled with the nucleus which contains the DNA.
• Also contains enzymes which are needed to penetrate the outer layers of the ovum.

 

The body of the sperm:

– Filled with mitochondria to provide energy to fuel propulsion

The tail of the sperm:

• Whip Like – used for mobility to propel along female reproductive tract.

 

The lesson continued with pregnancy, we looked at ovulation to conception and fertilization of the ovum.

• Normally 6-7 days after fertilisation, the blastocyst begins to embed in the uterus and is completely buried by the 11^th
• The first stage of foetal development is the formation of two enclosed cavities which lie adjacent to each other, the amniotic sac, and the yolk sac.

 

 

The first 14 days:

• The blastocyst is nourished by its own cytoplasm. Primitive blood vessels for the embryo begin to develop in the mesoderm.

 

The next 14 – 28 days:

• Embryonic bloods vessels connect up with blood vessels in the chorionic villi of the primitive placenta. Embryo/maternal circulation is thus established and blood is circulating.
• Head of embryo can be distinguished from the body
• Leg buds and then arm buds appear
• Major body systems are present in rudimentary form.

 

• – 42days:

 

• Length Is approximately 12mm by the end of the 6^th
• Arms begin to elongate and hands take shape
• Rudimentary eyes and ears appear
• Ears are apparent but low set
• First movements can be detected on ultrasound from 6 weeks.

 

The development of the foetus. At 8-10/40:

• Head approximately the same size as the body.
• Fingers and toes can be defined
• Eyelids are formed but closed until 25^th week
• Intestines herniate into the umbilical cord because there is no room in the abdomen
• Cord insertion is very low in the abdomen
• If the mother’s abdomen is palpated too forcefully, the foetus will move away (observed on scan).

 

The screening for inherited condition:

• Antenatal screening tests include screening for sickle cell disease and thalassaemia, infectious diseases, the 20-week anomaly scan and screening for Down’s syndrome.
• Women should be told about the risks, benefits and limits of these tests.
• Screening for sickle cell disease and thalassaemia should be offered before 10 weeks.
• This is so women and their partner can find out about all their options and make an informed decision if their baby has a chance of inheriting these conditions.

 

 

 

 

At 12 -40:

• Body length is approximately 9 cm
• Weight 14g
• Foetal circulation is functional
• Renal tract begins to function
• Sucking and swallowing reflexes are present
• External genitalia are apparent and sex can be determined.
• Women can miscarry at early gestations due to a variety of reasons.
• Some spontaneous miscarriages occur early due to abnormalities in cell division.
• Women are offered early screening to detect some abnormalities early do they can make an informed choice on whether to continue the pregnancy. Especially prudent if the pregnancy is not compatible with life
• Around 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage (spontaneous and planned).

 

At 16 – 20/40:

• The rate of growth begins to slow down.
• The head is now erect and half the length of trunk.
• Facial features are distinctive with ears sited in normal position
• Eyelids, eyebrows and finger nails are all well developed
• Legs are in proportion with the body
• Skeleton is visible on x-ray examination
• Fetal movements can be felt by the mother from 18/40
• Fetal heart can be heard with a hand held Doppler from around 16/40
• Renal tract is functioning, 7-17mls urine being passed in 24 hours.

 

At 28 – 32/40:

• Lanugo begins to diminish
• Body beginning to become more rounded as fat is laid down.

 

At 32 – 36/40:

• Lanugo mostly shed, skin still covered in vernix
• Finger and toe nails reach the top of the digits
• Umbilicus now lies more centrally in the abdomen.

 

At 36 – 40/40:

• Ossification of skull bones is still not complete, but this is an advantage and facilitates the passage of the foetus through the birth canal.

 

 

Once the baby is born:

• Birth top-to-toe check – weight, head circle, Vitamin K, X2 baby labels
• Referrals made (not always addressed immediately with the mother unless asked a specific question)
• NIPE exam (within 72 hours) – time for further discussion
• Hearing screen (birth to 72 hours)
• Day 5 New born blood spot screening for inherited diseases:

MCADD, PKU, Cystic fibrosis, Sickle cell, Congenital Hypothyroidism

• 8 week check – GP

(Referrals for abnormalities must have been actioned.

 

 

KSB ADDRESSED.

 

KNOWLEDGE.

 

K10: Understand the principles of epidemiology, demography, and genomics and how these may influence health and well-being outcomes.

K11: Understand the factors that may lead to inequalities in health outcomes.

K15: Understand human development from conception to death, to enable delivery of person-centred safe and effective care.

K16: Understand body systems and homeostasis, human anatomy and physiology, biology, genomics, pharmacology, social and behavioural sciences as applied to delivery of care.

K17: Understand commonly encountered mental, physical, behavioural, and cognitive health conditions as applied to delivery of care.

K22: Know how to meet people’s needs related to nutrition, hydration and bladder and bowel health.

K23: Know how to meet people’s needs related to mobility, hygiene, oral care, wound care, and skin integrity.

K24: Know how to support people with commonly encountered symptoms including anxiety, confusion, and pain.

K28: Understand the effects of medicines, allergies, drug sensitivity, side effects, contraindications, and adverse reactions.

 

 

 

 

 

SKILLS

S1: Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates (NMC, 2018), and fulfil all registration requirements.

S17: Protect health through understanding and applying the principles of infection prevention and control, including communicable disease surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship and resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

BEHAVIOUR

B1: Treat people with dignity, respecting individual’s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy, and preferences.

B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice.

B3: Be adaptable, reliable, and consistent, show discretion, resilience, and self-awareness.