Steve Ford

London

I'm the editor of @NursingTimes. Follow me for the latest news and views on nursing and the occasional photo of some urban countryside

Articles

‘Any discussion on the future of nursing must include nurses’

3 weeks ago | nursingtimes.net | Steve Ford

Trying to predict the future is never easy, as events like the Covid-19 pandemic have shown. However, it feels like the health and social care system currently stands at a crossroads in the UK, whereby it cannot continue on its present path and must embrace some sharp turns to successfully navigate the next part of its journey. The NHS and nursing, as the largest part of the workforce, are at the centre of these key changes in direction.
Free webinar: demystify continence and product assessments

1 month ago | nursingtimes.net | Steve Ford

This World Continence Week, nurses are invited to attend a free webinar to improve their continence care knowledge. In partnership with Essity, Nursing Times wants to help healthcare professionals boost their confidence in asking patients about their bladder and bowel symptoms and knowing what to do with the response. This webinar aims to demystify continence and product assessments, ultimately improving outcomes and experiences for individuals.
Don’t miss out: only a few days left to enter the 2025 Nursing Times Awards

1 month ago | nursingtimes.net | Steve Ford

There are just a few days left now to submit your entry for the Nursing Times Awards for 2025, featuring categories celebrating individuals, innovation and inspiration across the nursing and midwifery profession. The Nursing Times Awards are back, so don’t miss out on your chance to win, by getting your submissions and nominations ready by the end of this week to be in with a chance of getting hold of one of our trophies. The final entry deadline has been extended to midnight on Friday 23 May.
‘May brings much to celebrate about the past and the present’

1 month ago | nursingtimes.net | Steve Ford

It’s May, which means International Nurses Day is just around the corner, as is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth in 1820. The theme for this year, set by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), is ‘Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies’. This, according to the ICN, underscores the critical role a healthy nursing workforce plays in strengthening economies, improving health systems and ensuring better outcomes for communities worldwide.
Check out our new blog series by early career staff

2 months ago | nursingtimes.net | Steve Ford

Hear about the group of newly registered nurses and midwives who will be writing a new series of blogs especially for youWe are excited to announce a new series of blogs written exclusively by newly registered and early career nurses and midwives about their experiences. Since 2011, we have annually appointed a group of Nursing Times student editors to write regularly about their experiences of education, including university life, placements and more.
Like today, restructuring the NHS was a key discussion point 50 years ago

2 months ago | nursingtimes.net | Steve Ford

As the current government is about to embark on the latest reorganisation of the NHS in England, 50 years ago, Nursing Times was reflecting on a year of major change for the health service. In its leading article on 3 April 1975, titled ‘Happy Birthday?’, Nursing Times discussed progress with NHS restructuring in the 12 months since the NHS Reorganisation Act 1973 had come into effect in 1974.
‘Children’s care is key to ensuring the health of our next generation’

2 months ago | nursingtimes.net | Steve Ford

The idea of providing clinical treatment and care that is specific to children’s needs can be traced back to at least 450 years BCE, and Hippocrates and Ancient Greece. Meanwhile, the Persian philosopher and physician al-Rāzī, active during the first millennium CE, is sometimes called the father of paediatrics and published a monograph titled Diseases in Children.
NICE calls for BMI checks in patients with long-term conditions

Mar 21, 2025 | nursingtimes.net | Steve Ford

Nurses working in primary care settings could in future be required to carry out body mass measurements annually, to head off weight gain and obesity in patients with certain conditions. Patients with long-term conditions such as diabetes and heart disease should have their body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio recorded at least once a year, according to draft guidance.
‘The UK must continue to recognise the skills of internationally educated nurses’

Mar 17, 2025 | nursingtimes.net | Agimol Pradeep |Dilla Davis |Steve Ford

On 8 February 2025, we gathered at the YMCA Hall, London, to mark a significant milestone – the second anniversary of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) English Language requirement policy review. The SPaRC (SIFE Pathway Registrants Collective) Conference was more than an event; it was a space for learning, reflection, and shared experiences, bringing together 200 internationally educated nurses from across the UK.
‘My hope is I empower cancer patients to make their own decisions’

Mar 13, 2025 | nursingtimes.net | Margarida Rodrigues |Steve Ford

Being a cancer nurse is about more than supporting a patient through treatment, it’s about being advocate for them when they need it the most. March marks both Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. “Many cancer nurses become a trusted point of contact as patients battle one of the hardest journeys”Being a cancer nurse is immensely rewarding and tough at the same time.