Christine Walker

Effects of Ebola hit children most.

International charities working in West Africa are warning that children are bearing the brunt of the Ebola crisis.

The art of doing more with less

Editor Christine Walker Tel: +44 (0)20 8872 3154 Email: chris.walker@rcnpublishing.co.uk Managing director/publisher Rhonda Oliver Editor in chief Jean Gray Senior editor Gary Bell Assistant editor Sophie Blakemore Senior production editor Julie Hickey Assistant production editor Sharon Everitt Art director Ken McLoone Designer Sujata Aurora Deputy art director Minesh Parmar Picture editor Phil Brecht Deputy picture editor Karen Gordon Digital director John Day IT and new media manager Alex Oldfield Web editor Amanda Carter

Send politicians a message at RCN congress

With RCN congress being held this month and a general election soon after there may never be a better time for the college and other unions to lobby for what matters most to nurses, and for what opinion polls tell us the public want: good quality services.

Children can thrive on a blended diet

Using a blended diet to feed a child through gastrostomy is still a controversial practice, but the pioneering leadership of nurse consultant Sian Thomas could change this. After being approached by the parent of a child with complex needs, Ms Thomas developed a multi-agency protocol to help her attend a mainstream school.

How should children’s nurses manage mental health issues?

If you read the website run by the charity YoungMinds you get a stark warning about the mental health problems that young people and the health professionals that work with them deal with. One in ten young people aged 5-16 have diagnosable mental health disorders, and between one in every 12 and one in 15 children and young people deliberately self-harm.

Make your voice heard on the future of children’s nursing

Campaigners who last month launched an online parliamentary petition to save the childrens nursing degree programme, seem undeterred following reassurance from the government.

Is the children’s nursing degree about to be scrapped?

A petition has been launched to save the childrens nursing degree programme. So far the petition is doing well enough to prompt a response from the government, but not well enough to trigger a parliamentary debate. The concern that has led to the petition stems from the Shape of Caring review, which was published after questions were raised about the standards of nurse training following the scandal at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust.

The postcode lottery lives on

The postcode lottery was something that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, as it is now called, was originally set up to eradicate back in 1999.

Keep the pressure on commissioners to fund children’s care

The inability of the most vulnerable people to get the care they deserve, whether at the beginning, middle or end of their lives, is a sad reflection on the societys priorities. This is why the news that childrens hospices are facing a funding crisis is a cause for huge concern.

Too much talk and not enough action over obesity plan

After all the build-up and delays, it was probably no surprise that the governments eagerly-awaited childhood obesity plan has been derided for being too timid. The 13-page document - relatively light considering the severity of the posed threat - fails to mention tighter controls on advertising unhealthy food and drinks to children and families. Without these controls it is hard to see how the plans stated aim of reducing childhood obesity in England over the next ten years can be met.