Madeleine Anderson

I'm Madeleine, a news and features writer at Nursing in Practice and previous News Associates NCTJ trainee. 


Before joining NiP I briefly worked as a reporter for a local paper, following roles as a co-host at Hoxton Radio and  digital news reporter at Southwest Londoner. 


I studied Anthropology at The University of Cambridge, focusing on politics and performance in health and care environments. 

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Nursing in Practice •

A ‘modern vision’ needed to ‘take patients with us’ in primary care

Primary care is the ‘bedrock of the NHS’, but a ‘modern vision’ is needed to meet new demands, delegates at the NHS Confederation Expo heard today. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard warned that the NHS ‘needs to grow,’ with primary care being central to the successful development of the NHS. She said ‘we are making progress’ with more clinical staff working in surgeries to ‘manage the new demands from society,’ including clinical pharmacists, and recently, the appointment of the ‘first ever
Nursing in Practice •

Green Party manifesto: Increase nurse salaries and invest in 'crumbling' practice premises

The Green Party has formally launched their manifesto, committing to increase nurse salaries and invest in ‘crumbling’ primary care buildings and ‘outdated equipment’. The launch follows a manifesto preview last week where the party announced that it would increase spending on health and social care, rising to over £50 billion per year by 2030. This commitment sits alongside an additional £20 billion capital investment pledge to bring healthcare premises and equipment ‘up to modern standards’.
Nursing in Practice •

Conservative Party manifesto: Modernising GP surgeries and expanding nurse recruitment

The Conservative Party has pledged to modernise GP surgeries and recruit thousands nurses in its election manifesto, launched today. Speaking to the press, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised ‘quick and rapid’ access to healthcare services and committed to recruit 92,000 more nurses and 28,000 more doctors, although no timeframe was given for achieving this. Other promises included ‘driving up productivity in the NHS’ and ‘moving care closer to people’s homes’ through new and modernised GP sur
Nursing in Practice •

District nurses carrying ‘more responsibility than ever before’, says report

District nurses are working with increased workloads and more complex patient needs, a new report from The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has shown. The report was launched by QNI chief executive, Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, at the National District Nursing Network (NDNN) meeting in London today. Over 1,500 district nurse team leaders from all countries of the UK contributed to the report, through an online survey undertaken in 2023. The survey makes extensive comparison with data gathered by the
Nursing in Practice •

Liberal Democrats manifesto: Expanding nurse prescribing and investing in primary care

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to expand prescribing powers for nurses, promote ‘early access to community services’ and ‘invest in primary care estates’ in their election manifesto. Outlining their commitments to health and social care today, the party committed to giving everyone the right to see a GP within seven days, or 24 hours in urgent cases. The manifesto also includes plans to ‘remove top-down bureaucracy’ by enabling practices to ‘let practices hire staff they need and invest in
Nursing in Practice •

RCN Congress: Nurse substitution risks ‘exploitation’ and undermines safety

Workforce decision making in some areas is prioritising affordability and undermining patient safety and care, members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have warned. Nurses from various settings took to the stand during a discussion at this year’s RCN Congress which centred on the ongoing issue of registered nurse substitution. This has been a cause for concern particularly within general practice nursing in recent months, amid an increase in nursing associates. Leading the discussion was
Nursing in Practice •

‘Definitely a place’ for virtual wards in primary care

Nurses are working to secure ‘a place’ for virtual wards within primary care settings and to ensure the nursing workforce is educated on how to use them, Nursing in Practice has been told. Virtual wards – which include remote monitoring and advice or ‘hospital at home’ models – were the subject of a discussion at this year’s Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress, spearheaded by the RCN General Practice Nurse (GPN) Forum. Nurses from across different settings debated the ‘pros and cons’ of vi
Nursing in Practice •

Improving access to controlled drugs in care homes ‘vital’, say nurses

Improved access to key medications within care homes would help alleviate ‘suffering’ experienced by residents and ‘significantly improve’ end-of-life care, nurses have urged. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress has seen a resolution passed calling for amendments to the law that would enable enhanced access to controlled drugs in all care homes. Controlled drugs – which include those used to treat pain such as morphine and diamorphine – are subject to strict oversight under the Misuse
Nursing in Practice •

CPD for district nurses must be taken off ‘the backburner’

Increased workplace pressures and patient demand has seen continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for district nurses put on ‘the backburner’, a conference has heard. In a debate at this year’s Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress in Wales, nurses took to the stage to promote ‘lifelong learning’ and called for improved opportunities for CPD across all settings and nursing roles. Amy Hughes, District and Community Nursing Forum member, said a lack of CPD amid increased workpl
Nursing in Practice •

‘Growing imbalance’ in age profile of GPN workforce

General practice nurses (GPNs) approaching or at retirement age account for a third of the workforce in England, latest data has revealed. In contrast, the data from NHS Digital showed less than a quarter (24%) were aged under 40 – including less than 1% who were under 25. The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) said the figures showed ‘a major and growing imbalance’ within in the age profile of the GPN workforce. The GP workforce statistics for April 2024, published last week, showed there were
Nursing in Practice •

DHSC extends scheme to tackle ‘rising unethical recruitment’ in social care

The government has extended its funding pilot to support international recruitment within adult social care, following rising reports of unethical employment practices within the sector. The fund, which was first introduced in March 2023 to tackle local challenges around international recruitment and exploitation within the social care sector, will be extended by 12 months and backed by £16m, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said. The second phase of the pilot will have a ‘r
Nursing in Practice •

‘Inadequate’ GP practice fails to oversee ‘safe prescribing’ by staff

A Cambridgeshire GP practice has been placed into ‘special measures’ after inspectors raised concerns around ‘non-clinicians’ and nurses without prescribing qualifications completing medicine reviews. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has downgraded Parson Drove Surgery from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ following an inspection in January. Inspectors said the practice could not demonstrate how it assured the ‘competence’ of staff employed in advanced clinical practice, including nurses, paramedics, p
Nursing in Practice •

QNI commits to becoming ‘anti-racist’ organisation

The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) publicly committed to becoming an ‘anti-racist organisation’ at a lecture and awards ceremony on Friday evening. The commitment followed a speech from Queen’s Nurse and race equality consultant, Michelle Cox, at The William Rathbone X annual award and lecture. Ms Cox’s speech ‘Healing the Scars: Community Nursing in Liverpool Amidst the Legacy of Slavery and Discrimination’ addressed the history of slavery in Liverpool and revealed how the Rathbone family, w
Nursing in Practice •

International Nurses Day: GPNs ‘still pushing’ to show they are ‘very competent’

Exclusive: To mark International Nurses Day this weekend, Nursing in Practice has spoken with general practice nurses (GPNs) to discuss this year’s theme which centres on the ‘economic power of care’. The economic value of general practice nursing is often overlooked and the profession is not always seen as the ‘safety critical’ role that it is, Nursing in Practice has been told. GPNs have said they are still working to ‘push the agenda’ to show their competence and skills, and in some cases f
Nursing in Practice •

Interview: Technology must ‘enhance and not take away’ skills of GPNs

Speaking in an exclusive interview, NHS England’s national digital primary care nurse lead Helen Crowther outlines the value of AI in healthcare and the importance of being curious about the digital future Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital resources must not be used to take away the knowledge and experience of general practice nurses (GPNs) but to ‘enhance’ them instead, England’s digital primary care nursing lead stressed. Ms Crowther, who has been in the role and national team since 2
Nursing in Practice •

Concern as only 374 GP practices left in Wales

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has urged the Welsh Government to boost its investment into GP services across the country to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’ and reflect patient need. The call from RCN Wales’ associate director for employment relations Nicky Hughes comes after new figures showed that at the end of last year there were just 374 GP practices in Wales, a decrease of nine (2.4%) since December 2022. Ms Hughes told Nursing in Practice how general practice teams played ‘a vital
Nursing in Practice •

NMC to further examine inequalities in FtP cases

The nursing regulator has commissioned a review of its fitness to practise (FtP) cases in a bid to tackle differences in the experiences and outcomes of nurses from diverse backgrounds. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said it has asked the University of Greenwich to examine its current policies and guidance and assess whether they ‘effectively promote equality’ within the FtP process. In addition, it said it wanted to find out whether bias or discrimination had contributed to any dispa
Nursing in Practice •

Concern as only 374 GP practices left in Wales

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has urged the Welsh Government to boost its investment into GP services across the country to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’ and reflect patient need. The call from RCN Wales’ associate director for employment relations Nicky Hughes comes after new figures showed that at the end of last year there were just 374 GP practices in Wales, a decrease of nine (2.4%) since December 2022. Ms Hughes told Nursing in Practice how general practice teams played ‘a vital
Nursing in Practice •

NMC to further examine inequalities in FtP cases

The nursing regulator has commissioned a review of its fitness to practise (FtP) cases in a bid to tackle differences in the experiences and outcomes of nurses from diverse backgrounds. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said it has asked the University of Greenwich to examine its current policies and guidance and assess whether they ‘effectively promote equality’ within the FtP process. In addition, it said it wanted to find out whether bias or discrimination had contributed to any dispa
Nursing in Practice •

Government warned not to play pre-election 'culture wars' with NHS constitution

Plans to update the NHS constitution to enable patients to request same-sex intimate care have been criticised by NHS Confederation as dragging the health service into a ‘pre-election culture wars debate’. The think tank has said that updating the constitution should focus on high quality care for all, rather than ‘grabbing headlines’. The comments were made in response to the government’s launch of a consultation into changing the constitution, which is a document outlining the rights of pati
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