Nursing Standard Podcast

There is ‘still a long way to go’ in speeding up fitness to practise (FtP) cases for nursing and midwifery professionals, according to Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) chief executive Paul Rees.In the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, Mr Rees tells RCNi senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi that while the regulator is doing everything it can to make the FtP process as swift as possible for registrants, too many cases are still taking too long.In the wide-ranging interview, Mr Rees, who was made permanent chief executive of the organisation in July, also highlights his priorities for the NMC; discusses the changes the regulator has made since publication of the Afzal review, which discovered a toxic culture at the organisation; acknowledges the toll that interim orders can take on nurses’ careers; and talks about the NMC’s intention to review and update its code of conduct and revalidation process, with input from nursing and midwifery staff.He also acknowledges that the organisation went through a ‘dark period’, and says he hopes the changes being made will build ‘the new NMC that nursing and midwifery professionals want’.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should all nurses be expected to be leaders? RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Kirsty Cartin believes nurses must be given space to find their own route into leadership – or they could be deterred from wanting to take on such roles.Queen’s Nurse Ms Cartin, who is manager of the Rashielee Care Home in Erskine, discusses how her curiosity and compassion helped her to see herself as a leader in this latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast.Ms Cartin also explains her passion for older people’s care and why newly registered nurses should see care homes as a great setting to start their career.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nurses’ pay is under the spotlight in this week’s Nursing Standard podcast episode, which looks at health unions’ next moves and whether there will be structural reform.The government’s new professional strategy for nursing and midwifery, RCN and RCN Scotland award nominations, and tributes to a much-loved nurse leader are also discussed by RCNi content editor Alistair Mason and senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi.They also highlight RCNi subscriber content including tips for newly registered nurses to start their careers and how to undertake venepuncture in adults.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Tyrer talks about how he channelled difficult personal experiences into an initiative to change other people’s lives. The founder of Change Talks, which provides health and well-being education in schools, colleges and corporate settings, offers advice to other nurses who want to get their own initiatives off the ground. He also discusses how to boost well-being in the workplace in this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A nurse who went from work-related burnout to conquering Mount Everest discusses her unusual journey in the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast.Rowena Rowberry, a lecturer at the University of Derby and former community nurse, discusses how she went from a novice with no climbing experience to scaling the world’s tallest mountain in just 18 months.She also reveals one surprising practical insight climbing has given her into nursing – as well as offering some tips on taking care of your feet.Rowena’s climb helped to raise funds for the RCN Foundation and you can donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rowena-rowberryFor more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nurses’ intolerable workloads are under the spotlight in this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, with a review of a new film about nursing.The Late Shift movie by writer-director Petra Volpe has brought the profession’s challenges to cinema screens across the UK and content editor Alistair Mason and CPD editor Nick Lipley discuss whether it hits the mark.The podcast also discusses the latest nursing news, including a promise that all newly registered nurses will get a guaranteed job at the end of their studies and new figures showing violence levelled against emergency nurses is getting worse.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should nursing staff be expected to meet the growing need for palliative and end of life care now and in the future?The latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast hears the views of leading nurses on how to equip the profession with the skills and confidence to talk to and support those at the end of life, both in general and specialist areas.RCNi senior nurse editor Richard Hatchett chairs a discussion of these issues with NHS England chief nursing officer Duncan Barton, University of Glasgow clinical professor of nursing and palliative care Bridget Johnston, Marie Curie chief nursing officer Annette Weatherley and RCN UK chief nursing officer Lynn Woolsey.This episode was recorded at a Marie Curie and Royal College of Nursing conference on the future of palliative and end of life care in London in June 2025.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NHS pay is one of the main topics discussed in the latest Nursing Standard podcast episode, with nursing staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland expected to overwhelmingly reject this year’s 3.6% pay award.The fact that next year’s pay award process has also been triggered unusually early is also discussed by RCNi content editor Alistair Mason and senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi as they look at the latest events hitting nursing headlines.Newly registered nurses protesting over a lack of jobs, pay outside the NHS, and how to identify and categorise a pressure ulcer are also under the spotlight.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you handle feedback from managers, colleagues and the people you care for? And if you are assessing someone’s performance, how do you ensure whatever you say is positively received?Giving and receiving feedback is the topic of the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, featuring Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust people promise manager Fahida Rehman-Manby, who is also a nurse.She offers tips for giving feedback in an empathetic manner and using feedback to improve practice and advance your career.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NHS trusts across England are continuing to cut bank pay and shifts – a topic which comes under the spotlight in the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast.An £8,000 fine for a nurse prescriber unlawfully supplying weight-loss drugs and other prescription-only medicines is also discussed in the episode hosted by RCNi content editor Alistair Mason and senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi.They also discuss subscriber content including what nurses need to know about ultra-processed foods, and nurses highlighting the best and most useful advice they ever received.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From diverse first jobs for newly registered nurses to a progressive career pathway, opportunities in social care nursing is the topic discussed in the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast.Chief nurse for adult social care in England Deborah Sturdy counters common misconceptions about the sector and talks about how these nursing roles offer autonomy to improve and make an immediate difference to people’s lives.Professor Sturdy is speaking at Nursing Live, RCNi’s free event for nursing staff and students at the NEC, Birmingham on 5-6 November.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three ex-leaders at Lucy Letby’s former trust were arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter this week – a story we examine in this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast.Another former nurse and convicted murderer, Colin Campbell, came under the spotlight when he lost a legal appeal to overturn his convictions recently.RCNi content editor Alistair Mason and senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi discuss these stories and many others in this podcast episode.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The mass rollout of weight-loss drugs on the NHS in England began this week as GPs became able to prescribe the drugs for the first time. Some 220,000 people with the ‘greatest need’ are expected to receive Mounjaro, the commercial name for tirzepatide, over the next three years.In this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, Lisa Rickers – a registered nurse with more than 15 years’ experience as a bariatric specialist in the NHS – explains that the health benefits of these drugs extend far beyond shedding excess pounds. She also discusses their potential risks, and offers advice for nurses when caring for patients who are using them.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New principles for advanced practice, and nursing staff recognised in the King’s birthday honours, are among the headlines grabbing nurses’ attention this week.In our latest podcast episode, RCNi content editor Alistair Mason and senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi bring you fresh insights on issues affecting nursing staff. These also include harrowing accounts of nurses experiencing suicidal ideation due to intense workplace pressures, and an RCN Foundation survey that explores the domestic abuse experiences and support needs of nursing and midwifery staff in the UK.They also highlight tributes paid to an Indian nurse who was killed in the recent Air India plane crash.RCNi subscriber content discussed includes six ways employers can help reduce the risk of burnout in nursing staff.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nursing leadership skills are in the spotlight in this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast. RCN Nursing Leadership Academy associate director Emily McWhirter discusses essential leadership skills, from active listening to conflict resolution and emotional intelligence.She also offers tips too on how to develop these. This podcast was recorded at the RCNi Nursing Careers and Jobs Fair Birmingham on 3 March 2025.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NHS pay, changes to funding for advanced practice programmes and a petition to recognise nursing associates in their own right – these are some of the issues getting nurses talking this week.In our latest podcast, RCNi content editor Alistair Mason and senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi bring you fresh insights on the nursing headlines grabbing our attention.They also discuss RCNi subscriber content, including next steps and key dates for the 2025-26 pay award and an article on continuing professional development (CPD) using the national Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) for England.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sepsis treatment continues to evolve. In this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast Suman Shrestha, a consultant nurse in critical care at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, looks at best practice guidelines and discusses why traditional thinking on various aspects of care, including the use of antibiotics, is changing.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pay, legislation on the use of the nurse title and a fitness to practise case feature in the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast.Content editor Alistair Mason and senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi discuss the issues getting nurses talking, including changes to pensions and how it will soon be a criminal offence for someone to claim they are a nurse if they are unregistered.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can you do to support yourself when you’re feeling totally overwhelmed? And, crucially, how can your manager help you cope with stress via their leadership style? In the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, Caron Sanders-Crook – a Queen’s Nurse, coach and nurse educator – argues for a trauma-informed approach to leadership. She discusses how leaders who understand their own nervous system responses can model stability for their teams, and demonstrates two exercises that nurses can use to help prevent emotional exhaustion [go to 12:51 in the episode].Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, RCN general secretary Nicola Ranger discusses the latest on NHS pay, recruitment freezes and cuts to bank pay with RCNi senior journalist Shruti Sheth Trivedi. She also talks about the hot topics set to be discussed at the college’s annual congress from 12-15 May, and shares what she loves about RCNi’s Nursing Live event.Follow the Nursing Standard podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.For more episodes of the Nursing Standard podcast, visit rcni.com/podcast  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.