Clinical Skills Ltd

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards for adults in hospitals and/or care homes – updated guide https://lnkd.in/e523iKCm   Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) forms an extended part of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), ensuring that professionals apply checks and balances when they care for vulnerable people, to prevent breaching the European Convention on Human Rights. The safeguards also provide a benchmark for the legal protection of vulnerable people in care homes who are registered under the Care Standards Act (2000).   This updated guide covers:   ·      When to consider the need for a DoLS application; ·      The legislative background to DoLS; ·      The ‘Acid test’, and other considerations, when applying DoLS; ·      The process for applying for a DoLS authorisation.   The guide also includes several case studies, discussing whether the acid test considerations are met in each case and other factors that should be taken into account. #nursing #safeguarding #elearning

Three new guides in our Safeguarding category:   • Safeguarding Part 1: Key principles https://lnkd.in/ezGxp4mG • Safeguarding Part 2: Types and signs of abuse https://lnkd.in/eaCevAjD • Safeguarding Part 3: Raising a concern https://lnkd.in/eUSGhcwt   The Care Act (2014) stipulates that all health and social care organisations have a legal responsibility, and a moral duty of care, to understand, promote and enact duties for safeguarding adults.   Part 1 of this three-part series includes discussion of: • Safeguarding duties and aims; • Achieving safeguarding aims; • The six principles of safeguarding; • Mental Capacity Act (2005); • Professional responsibilities.   Part 2 includes:   • Perpetrators of abuse; • Where abuse takes place; • Types and signs of abuse. Part 3 includes:   • How to raise a concern; • The local authority's role; • Data protection issues; • Allegations against professionals; • Criminal offences and safeguarding; • Reviews; • Referrals; • Legal processes. All three guides contain case studies covering a wide range of environments and different scenarios. These demonstrate how safeguarding processes can be implemented with different types of abuse. #safeguarding #nursing #elearning 

Two new guides in our category Palliative Care:   ·      Assessment and management of gastrointestinal symptoms: Constipation https://lnkd.in/eSt-Rd5G ·      Assessment and management of gastrointestinal symptoms: Nausea and vomiting https://lnkd.in/e3CKwG9B The authors of these new, fully illustrated guides are Carole Cousins, Practice Educator Community Outreach, and Elizabeth Booth, Senior Staff Nurse, both at Princess Alice Hospice. The guides have been double-blind peer-reviewed.   Many patients at the end of life experience constipation, which, if left untreated or unresolved, can be distressing. The assessment and management of constipation is therefore an important part of palliative care, which aims to optimise the quality of life for people at the end of life.   In this situation, it is important to monitor the patient’s bowel function and, wherever possible, take action that may help the patient to avoid constipation. Nausea and vomiting in palliative care are complex symptoms that may be short-term or ongoing. Nausea and vomiting should be viewed as separate symptoms; however, both symptoms often present in the same patient. Both nausea and vomiting can have a huge impact on the quality of life for the patient and their family. These guides demonstrate how to:   ·      Plan and provide care for a patient with constipation; ·      How to assess nausea and vomiting; ·      Arrange a treatment plan for the symptoms; ·      Provide appropriate care. #palliativecare #nursing #elearning

Advance care planning – new guide in our Palliative Care category: The authors of this brand-new, fully illustrated guide are Sarah Fidler, Rapid Response Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Lorraine Carter, Lecturer, both at Princess Alice Hospice. It has undergone a double-blind peer review. Advance care planning (ACP) provides an opportunity for people to plan for their future care. ACP requires a person to hold a conversation or series of conversations with their family, significant others and care providers about their wishes and preferences regarding their end-of-life care. It is helpful for healthcare professionals to have access to a written record of the person’s wishes in order to inform care provision. It is important for the individual to regularly review their plans; as a person’s condition deteriorates, they may want to alter their plans or discuss certain decisions again.   This guide describes:   ·      Different types of ACP; ·      Helpful tools healthcare professionals can use for ACP; ·      How healthcare professionals can prepare for and carry out ACP; ·      Appointing a lasting power of attorney; ·      How to document different decisions. #palliativecare #AdvanceCarePlanning #nursing

Depression – parts 3 and 4 of our new series of guides   • Depression Part 3: Treating mild to moderate depression https://lnkd.in/eY3jkuZG • Depression Part 4: Treating severe depression https://lnkd.in/egc3ePKt   There are a range of ways to work with a person who has depression. The choice of intervention is determined by the severity of the person’s depression, the assessed needs of the person, the person’s preferences out of the options available and their willingness to, for example, complete tasks outside of sessions. It is important to use the least intrusive option, proportionate to the person’s needs. In cases of repeated episodes of depression, or where the person is experiencing severe symptoms, you will need to reach a shared decision based on which interventions fit the person’s needs and preferences, and which treatments have been successful in the past. Part 3 of this series covers the interventions and treatments appropriate for a person who has been assessed as having mild to moderate depression, or for a person who is experiencing their first episode of depression. These include:   • Psychological interventions; • Group physical exercise; • Distraction and peer support; • Cognitive behavioural therapy; • Guided self-help and behavioural activation; • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs); • Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP). Part 4 of this series covers treating repeated and severe episodes of depression, including the use of combined treatments and the use of a wider range of antidepressant medications. The guide also covers the use of Wellness Recovery Action Plans and reassessment. #depression #nursing #mentalhealth #elearning

New Mental Health Section on Clinical Skills We are pleased to announce the addition of a brand new Section to clinicalskills.net – Mental Health.   The first guides to be published in this section form a new four-part series on Depression. This post features the first two guides in this series:   ·      Depression Part 1: Causes and symptoms https://lnkd.in/eiRDcJdZ ·      Depression Part 2: Assessment and risk https://lnkd.in/ey8YDdcf   The author of these fully illustrated guides is Nick Wrycraft, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Anglia Ruskin University. The guides have been double-blind peer-reviewed.   Depression is a common mental health issue that can be described as a prolonged loss of interest in, and enjoyment of, everyday life and experiences. It can manifest mentally and physically, and others may notice a difference in the person’s mood, behaviour and usual activities.   Depression can develop at any point in a person’s life and often occurs in response to significant life events. It is associated with a high risk of suicide. Part 1 of this series covers:   ·      Inequality in the mental health system; ·      Factors that may predispose a person to depression; ·      Causes of depression; ·      Symptoms of depression.   Part 2 of this series covers:   ·      Trauma-informed care; ·      Initial assessment; ·      The PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 questionnaires; ·      Recurring and new episodes of depression; ·      Risk assessment; ·      Crisis plans. #nursing #depression #mentalhealth #elearning

Verification of expected death – updated guide https://lnkd.in/eCpyreJT   This guide has been reviewed and updated by Diane Laverty, Macmillan Nurse Consultant, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The guide has also been double-blind peer-reviewed.   The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC, 2008) describes death as “the irreversible loss of essential characteristics which are necessary to the existence of a living human person”.   The process of verifying a death involves carrying out a set of practices to confirm that a person’s life has ended. This may also be known as ‘confirmation of death’ or ‘recognition of life extinct’ (Hospice UK, 2024a; 2024b),   While the verification of death is usually performed by medical staff, "any competent person" can carry out the procedure (BMA, 2020). The national consensus is that nurses should only verify expected deaths (Hospice UK, 2024a).   Nurses should be given adequate education and training on how to verify an expected death and provide bereavement support to the deceased person’s family. While national guidance is available (Hospice UK, 2024a) an organisation may have its own local policies.   This guide covers the steps used in verifying an expected death, including:   • Recording the verification request; • Confirming the identity of the deceased; • Checking for a response to stimuli; • Assessing the pupils; • Checking for a pulse; • Listening for breath and heart sounds; • Maintaining the person's dignity; • Documenting the findings. #nursing #clinical #death #elearning

Disposal of clinical waste and sharps – updated guide https://lnkd.in/eWxnUqzx   This fully illustrated guide has been updated by Satu Hakala, Senior Lecturer in Simulated Learning and Clinical Skills at Kingston University London. It has also been double-blind peer reviewed.   The guide explains how to safely dispose of clinical waste and sharps, according to NHS regulations. It now also incorporates the NHS Scotland guidance on waste management.   Healthcare professionals who handle and manage waste must be trained in the safe disposal of clinical waste and sharps and know which items should go into which container (NHSE, 2023a). They should dispose of healthcare waste in a way that protects their own health, their patients and the environment.   The incorrect disposal of clinical waste and sharps can lead to sharps injuries, toxic exposure, air pollution and thermal injuries. Healthcare organisations must have robust strategies and systems in place to ensure the safe disposal of both hazardous (also known as “special”) waste and non-hazardous waste (NHSE, 2023a; NHSS, 2023; WHO, 2018). Each waste stream must have a designated, labelled and colour-coded waste receptacle. Whoever generates the waste should correctly segregate it immediately after use.   This guide covers:   ·      A summary of waste categories; ·      An overview of the recommended colour-coded clinical waste system; ·      The correct labelling of waste containers; ·      The safe storage of clinical waste; ·      How to safely tie up clinical waste bags; ·      Safe use of sharps bins. #nursing #clinical #elearning

Updates to two guides from our category Pre- and Postoperative Care in Children and Young People:   ·      Preoperative care of children and young people https://lnkd.in/ebEa6C32   ·      Postoperative care of children and young people https://lnkd.in/eFGzvbjv   These fully illustrated guides have been updated by Catherine Hewitt, Senior Lecturer at London South Bank University.   Children and young people undergoing surgery have different emotional, psychological and physiological needs to adults (RCN, 2020). It is important to understand the general principles of pre- and postoperative care for all children/young people. – Preoperative care of children and young people   The goal of preoperative assessment is to ensure an excellent patient- and family-centred experience, with shared decision-making embedded throughout the process (RCoA, 2023a).   This guide supports this goal and includes details of: ·      Preoperative assessment; ·      Psychological preparation; ·      Admission to the ward; ·      Identification and consent; ·      Fasting guidelines; ·      Recording preoperative vital signs; ·      Fluid balance; ·      Preparation of the incision site; ·      Transfer to theatre. – Postoperative care of children and young people   The length of the postoperative phase depends on the type of surgery and the child/young person’s medical condition (RCoA, 2023b). Following minor surgeries, most patients can be discharged on the same day as the procedure. Major surgeries require longer recovery times and may even warrant a stay in intensive care.   This guide covers postoperative care, including: ·      Ward preparation and the handover process; ·      Initial assessment; ·      Observation of any infusions; ·      Postoperative care plan; ·      Recording vital signs; ·      Fluid balance; ·      Pain assessment; ·      Wound care; ·      Mobilisation; ·      Emotional wellbeing. #paediatric #nursing #elearning

A–E assessment in infants and children – NEW GUIDE https://lnkd.in/evVD8g8w   The author of this new, fully illustrated guide is Liesje André, who is a senior resuscitation practitioner. The guide has been double-blind peer-reviewed. The A–E approach is a standardised tool for clinically assessing a patient. The approach is designed to rapidly assess and manage potential respiratory, circulatory or neurological failure. A structured A–E assessment helps to ensure that potentially life-threatening problems are identified and managed in order of priority. The five components of the assessment are airway, breathing, circulation, disability and exposure.   This guide summarises each component of the A–E assessment for infants, children and young people. Each stage involves assessment, investigation and intervention.   It is important to address life-threatening problems as they arise, and to reassess after each intervention before moving on to the next stage of the assessment.   Observations should be recorded on a suitable Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) chart. To ensure the effective handover of information, use a recognised tool that allows for concise and clear communication, such as SBAR (situation, background, assessment and recommendation). #paediatrics #nursing #elearning