After my accident I was scared about returning home when I didn’t feel ready. It was a daunting prospect yet the nurse provided by Nursing Direct made me feel confident and safe, and slowly but surely I began to adjust back to my old life.

The after care provided was tailored specifically to my needs and I couldn’t have asked for a better nurse.

Would definitely use Nursing Direct again for myself or any other family members.

My mother has been suffering with dementia for a number of years now and being her primary care giver I was reluctant to leave her for longer than a few days.

However after using Nursing Direct carers and nurses I felt completely confident and at ease in leaving for a week’s holiday. I had the full knowledge that my mother was being cared for by qualified sensitive staff, who were kind, considerate, respectful and professional.

I cannot recommend Nursing Direct enough, especially for respite. I could relax for that whole time knowing my mother was well looked after and had a rare chance to look after myself.

On behalf of my mum, myself and my brother, I would like to thank you so much for the care and kindness you showed during our mum's short illness.

My mum loved you all and enjoyed the giggles she had with you. You all showed such compassion and warmth which made her life so much easier. The respect and dignity you gave to her was incredible. Please pass on our thanks to all concerned, particularly Roberta, Patricia, Irene, Deck and Prince and all the others who did so much to make mum's last days happy and bearable.

Well done all of you. Much thanks and appreciation.

Going on holiday with a disabled child can be very difficult and to be honest we rarely went away. Yet Nursing Direct provided us with a Nurse who become part of our family.

We took her on holiday with us to help with the care of our young son and it was one the best holidays we had had as a family. It provided all the family with some rest whilst enjoying quality time away with our son away from home.

Sometimes a change of scenery can really help everyone and an extra pair of hands on holiday can really help!

Dominic Cummings is now giving evidence over at the Commons Health and Science committee. The inquiry is going to be done to try and make sure that the UK did everything they could to make sure that things were dealt with. This is to try and make sure that Dominic Cummings’ statements are not overlooked. He believes that thousands of people died when they did not need to, including those who are in the profession of homecare or even in private nursing. He said that when he came back, the first meeting in the war room was a disaster as they talked about PPE.

A brand-new Covid-19 vaccine has now been approved for use in the US. This is great news to say the least as it is effective as one dose as opposed to two. The Hanssen vaccine can easily be stored at a fridge temperature and this is only between 2 and 8 degrees. Of course, if you work in homecare or even in private nursing then you will know how great this for the community. 20 million doses are now secured for four different nations across the UK and of course, the first deliveries are expected to arrive soon next year. Studies have shown that the single shot vaccine was around 67% effective when it comes to stopping infection and that it was 85% against stopping hospitalisation. This would be the fourth vaccine that has been approved for use in the UK. The Covid-boost study is of course exploring if the Janssen could be used as a booster later in the year. Some say that the boosters are going to start this year and this is fantastic to say the least.

Trusts are always increasing the amount of potential when it comes to nursing associates and how they give drugs intravenously. This is sparking various warnings when it comes to the ambiguity and the roles with what they are permitted to do. The debate has been reignited this week during the event. People are going to be able to share their views on how nurses give IV drugs. With all nurses and healthcare professionals, it’s safe to say that it is important that skills and opinions are shared. If you look at homecare nursing or even private nursing then it’s safe to say that this is going to have a huge impact on the industry as we know it.

There’s absolutely no place for racism in things like homecare and even private nursing. The midwifery council has chosen to join forces with various other regulators. They want to try and remind health and social care workers of their duties and they also want to show how important it is to try and protect staff and even patients against racism. This is all being done in partnership with the Health Observatory and the NHS Race. The General Medical Council and of course, the Care Quality Commission have chosen to release an open statement and this is going to be a subject matter for a lot of employers. The four organisations have all chosen to call on healthcare leaders and they have also tried to make sure that all of their policies and their leaders are fair and inclusive. A lot of this is being done in-line with the Equality Act. The move really does come at a time where nursing is hitting the headlines. It’s approaching the year anniversary of George Floyd, who was murdered in the US.

A novel pregnancy tool that is being used to try and screen for gestational diabetes has been developed. It’s been worked on by researchers who are in Northern Ireland and some believe that this has the true potential of being able to become part of routine care in general. The study has found that there is maternal visceral adipose tissue and that this is a very good predictor when it comes to gestational diabetes. This is especially the case when you look at higher risk patients. At the end of the day, the assessment is very easy to perform, and it only takes around 5 minutes. They have highlighted that the VAD technique is very simple, and it is straightforward. If you work in homecare or if you work in the industry of private nursing, then you’ll be glad to know that this is all very good news and that this is going to help so many people.

The researchers who are actually based in Belfast have stated that the National Institute for Healthcare have recommended that they select women that are at a higher risk. This could include women who are obese or even women who are known for having larger babies. It may be that they have a history of diabetes or that they are at a high risk when it comes to their ethnicity. Either way, it looks like this is really going to be good for everyone and it means that conditions like this can be picked up much easier. Of course, only time will tell what the future holds but it would seem that this is very good news and that it’s only going to lead to much more positive results in the future. Every woman is going to get more support if they have gestational diabetes too.

The nurse who was able to administer the very first vaccine in the UK have stated that it’s unbelievable what everyone has been able to achieve in this month alone. She was able to deliver the first vaccine in December when she was able to deliver the vaccine to Maggie Keenan. The pair have since been reunited and they have joined NHS England and Simon Stevens in their own video call. Those who work in homecare or even in private nursing have stated that they are excited about the vaccination program and that they are proud of the progress that they have made so far. Ms Parsons, who has worked for the NHS for over 20 years has stated that they feel like the dawn is finally coming. Everyone believes that it is unreal how they have been able to roll out the vaccine so quickly and the progress they have made is truly unbelievable.

Government data has ultimately shown that since April, the vaccination program has been able to reach over 33 million people and that 10.7 million people have had both of their doses. 9 groups that are in the first priority section have now been offered a single jab and now adults that are the age of 45 or over are being invited to come forward as well. This is being done as phase two of the program. May Parsons administered the first one and she has stated that it looks like we are coming out of the pandemic stronger than ever. They have also paid tribute to the social workers and the healthcare workers across the UK, as they believe that their help has been essential in helping everyone to tackle Covid.