A new vaccine that will make a big difference to the people of Africa – and practice nurses in the UK

Ebola is in the headlines and scare stories abound. The virus is transmitted through contact with the bodily fluid of an infected person.  But what transforms it into such a devastating problem are social and economic conditions – and the panic that surrounds it. And though my work-related fundraising efforts at the moment are entirely focussed on supporting colleagues through the current ebola crisis, it would be easy to forget that this is not West Africa’s biggest killer; that dubious honour goes to malaria.

E-Cigarettes

One of my oldest friends is a dedicated smoker. Despite having a cough that would rattle the house, and the accompanying breathlessness associated with emphysema, she persisted with the 20-plus cigarettes a day that she has smoked for the past 40 years.

A crisis of compassion: Who cares?

The Report A crisis of compassion: Who cares? is a transcript of a discussion held at the Battle of Ideas, 20–21 October 2012, London, UK.

It was published in Nursing Ethics in Feb 2013:

http://nej.sagepub.com/content/20/1/109.full.pdf+html

The online discussion at the Battle of Ideas can be accessed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22maGLQyFko&index=12&list=PLUJGOCM8cUJlhCo12wDp6F6MTMDAkWC8j

Book review: Parenting Culture Studies

Book review:
Parenting Culture Studies
Ellie Lee, Jennie Bristow, Charlotte Faircloth and Jan Macvarish
School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent
Palgrave Macmillan, 2014
ISBN 978-1-137-30463-6

Community practitioners will recognise that there have been major and controversial changes in child rearing practices over the last 30–40 years. You might say the terrain has become a minefield. The starting point for this insightful and topical book was research conducted a decade ago by author Ellie Lee, which explored an issue practitioners may still struggle to comprehend – why and how infant feeding has become such a controversial and morally charged area of social life.

Simple as science fiction

Human ingenuity and modern technology can make a huge difference to the lives of children and adults with disabilities.

Nursing Times Comments

• Comment on: Hospitals’ duty of care in smoking cessation

• Brid Hehir's comment 19-Jan-2014 4:25 pm
  NICE guidance is all about supporting people to quit which is fine for those who want to. But what about people who don't want to quit -be they patients, visitors or carers? How will their choice be supported? I wrote the attached in an attempt to draw attention to the way in which their rights and choices are being overlooked and/or denied. http://bridhehir.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/this-was-first-published-here-13-nice.html#more

Heart disease halved

NHS communications colleagues struggle to get the media interested in positive health stories. That’s replicated at a national and even international level. It seems the only time the press expresses an interest is when there’s a whiff of a scandal. Bad news sells. That we’re living longer and healthier lives doesn’t.