Here you will find all the articles, Toolkit items and Q&As relating to Physical and mental health.
Martin Hodgson talks about the new guidance on preventing pressure ulcers in care homes.
In this article Deborah Bellamy outlines some of the issues caused by obesity and suggests ways of tackling weight issues.
Dr Dan Nightingale looks at the benefits of combined physical and brain health exercises for people living with dementia.
In this article, Deborah Bellamy looks at comorbidity, some common conditions and related issues such as dementia, polypharmacy and falls.
Deborah Bellamy offers practical advice on managing COPD and breathing difficulties.
In this article Deborah Bellamy looks at osteoporosis, how it develops, its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
In this article, Deborah Bellamy looks at different aspects of arthritis, discussing management, diet, exercise, treatment options and other coping mechanisms such as complementary therapies.
Martin Hodgson writes about the causes and treatment of stroke and how to recognise the signs.
Martin Hodgson provides suggestions on how to support people who are who are feeling lonely or isolated.
A guide to the new Food Information Regulations and what providers must do to comply with them.
Martin Hodgson looks at eating disorders, including common warning signs and how to care for someone with an eating disorder.
Martin Hodgson looks at different types of anxiety states and how care workers can support service users suffering from anxiety.
Julia Hobbs explains the different types of diabetes, and offers guidelines for managing diabetes in care homes.
This article provides a guide for the assessment and prevention of pressure ulcers in nursing, domiciliary and residential care. It analyses the risk factors, tools and challenges in preventing pressure ulcers.
This article looks at the symptoms of depression, its causes, and depression in older people. It also looks at how depression can be treated and methods for preventing loneliness.
Too often incontinence is seen as an inevitable part of ageing. This article explains what you can do to help service users who suffer from this common problem.
This article highlights how effective care routines and suitable equipment help can prevent pressure ulcers.
Q. Do some medicines need to be given at a certain time to make sure they are safe or work effectively?
A. Medicines must always be administered in accordance with the prescriber’s instructions and these must be consistent with the manufacturer’s instructions. If the prescriber does not follow the manufacturer’s instructions then the medicine is prescribed ‘off licence’ and the manufacturer is not liable for any adverse incidents.
Q.	Why is the CQC focusing on oral health when inspecting nursing and residential homes? Often service users do not have their own teeth and there is no danger of decay!
A. Good oral hygiene is essential for many reasons. One of these is to prevent aspiration pneumonia.
Q. One of our service users was in hospital recently for a planned operation. After they returned to our care home, the hospital called us to say that it had established that the service user contracted MRSA while in hospital.
They advised that we should take preventative measures to avoid the spread of this infection. What action should we take in respect of preventative measures and who should we notify?
A. Your first action should be to prevent the spread of infection to other people.
Q. One of the people we support has been experiencing night-time urinary incontinence.
We have sought support for them from the continence nurses. They have suggested that we prompt the person during the night to urinate. We are concerned that this prompting may be regarded as detrimental to their well-being, as prompting will wake them up. What should we do to protect the person and our staff team?
A. Nocturia, or nocturnal polyuria, is the medical term for excessive urination during the night.
Q Should tissue viability nurses be able to remove equipment from adults after pressure ulcers heal, even if they remain high risk?
A There is no definitive answer to this question; it depends on the individual circumstances.