Shruti Sheth Trivedi

Felicia Cox, a well-known and inspirational nurse leader who spent nearly 30 years in pain services has died after an illness. She led pain services, founded a global pain nurse network, and championed excellence in clinical care, education, research and patient advocacy.

The Blue Light Card offers savings on shopping, eating out, travel, days out and gifts for NHS and other healthcare staff and nursing students. Find out who is eligible, and more about this and other savings schemes, including RCN member discounts, NHS Staff Benefits and Health Service Discounts, as well as the Totum card and app for students

Emergency department matron Fiona Higginson collapsed at work at Yeovil Hospital in August due to a subarachnoid haemorrhage and subsequently died, despite colleagues’ efforts to resuscitate her. Her colleagues at Yeovil Hospital and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust have praised her strong leadership and caring personality, and said her death ‘has had a huge impact on everybody’. The ED team’s resuscitation efforts were an emotional experience for those involved, one said. Colleagues also say Ms Higginson was a phenomenal leader who ‘touched so many hearts’, both inside and outside of work.

Nursing regulator the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has tightened its rules on cosmetic prescribing and banned remote prescribing of non-surgical medicines, while the Department of Health and Social Care is set to introduce new regulations and licensing for those undertaking cosmetic procedures. Investigations and NMC fitness to practise data show a small minority of nurse prescribers are prescribing botulinum toxin, weight loss injections and other aesthetic medications and procedures unethically and in some cases illegally, putting patient safety and the reputation of the profession at risk. RCNi reviews the new rules and nurse prescribers’ concerns about individuals prescribing outside of regulations.

A child has died after an outbreak of measles in England and parents have been advised to get their children vaccinated to prevent further harm. The reasons behind the surge in cases over the year include a lowered uptake of the highly effective measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Nurses are advised on public health messaging and how they can help stop the surge in this preventable disease by tackling misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. We also provide a guide to symptoms, complications, the spread of the virus and advice on how to care for someone with the disease.

Updated nursing job profiles have been published following a lengthy review by the NHS Staff Council, and a long-running campaign by the RCN and the Royal College of Midwives. The new profiles are intended to reflect more accurately the skills and education required of and responsibilities carried by modern nursing professionals. Existing role profiles are more than a decade old and nursing leaders say they have not kept pace with the evolution of nursing roles and levels of responsibility. The RCN says employers must commit to updating job descriptions and governments must fully fund the updated band profiles. Read an at-a-glance guide to what has changed in the nursing job profiles in Agenda for Change band 4-9.

Nurses at an RCN congress debate have questioned whether the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is fit for purpose, with some highlighting long delays to fitness to practise (FtP) hearings, structural racism and a misuse of immunity by those referring professionals to the regulator. Individual nurses aired their grievances with the flawed FtP process, with one asking whether the ‘NMC itself should be struck off’ over ‘ongoing’ issues with its governance, culture and effectiveness.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) reports that fitness to practise (FtP) referrals are increasing, which puts a strain on the system and risks undoing the progress made in tackling the case backlog and improving the referral process for nurses, midwives and the regulator. An independent oversight group is monitoring NMC FtP processes

The NHS Staff Council has extended the consultation period on its review of job profiles for senior nursing roles until mid-January, to allow more time to compile feedback from staff and employers. The review follows a campaign by the RCN and Royal College of Midwives to ensure job profiles more accurately reflect roles and staff are paid fairly. Many nurses feel their pay does not reflect their skills and responsibilities, leading to dissatisfaction and potential staff shortages.

Kwasi Kwarteng urges government to provide better protection for overseas health and care workers, citing high fees for recruitment and if staff want to leave their contracts early

Solving staff shortage key to cutting NHS waiting lists, says jobs expert as union insists profession can only attract recruits if they see they will be valued

ICU sister Ginny Wanjiro sources specialist combs and products to help patients from black and minority ethnic backgrounds ‘feel amazing’