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 •

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 •

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
NADJA •

Meet Issy Waite: UK’s youngest Labour MP determined to flip a Conservative stronghold

“I’ve always believed that the only way we can achieve real change in the UK is with a Labour government, and I think it’s important to have young people involved on every level.” That’s the view of 21-year-old Issy Waite, Labour’s youngest parliamentary candidate who is set to run in the seat of North West Essex in the next general election against Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade. The area has been recognised as a Conservative safe seat for over a century, wi
Nursing in Practice •

Housekeeping staff ‘regularly’ assisting with meals at understaffed care home

Understaffing at a care home in Huddersfield has seen housekeeping staff ‘regularly’ asked to break from their cleaning responsibilities to assist residents with their meals. Aden House – which removed its nursing provision in October 2022 due to recruitment issues – has been kept in ‘special measures’ and rated ‘inadequate’ again following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February. The care home, run by Aden House Limited, provides personal care for up to 60 people in Cla
Nursing in Practice •

Proposal for GPNs to carry out health checks for new childminders

General practice nurses (GPNs) could be enabled to complete health declarations for prospective childminders under new government proposals. The Department for Education (DfE) said widening the range of healthcare professionals who can complete health checks could ‘speed up the process and in some cases remove the burden on GPs’. The proposal comes as part of a DfE consultation on ‘childminder recruitment and retention’, which closes on May 10. Under the current childminder and provider of ch
Nursing in Practice •

RCN ‘closely monitoring’ delayed pay rise for GPNs in Northern Ireland

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said it will ‘closely’ monitor the implementation of a delayed pay rise for general practice nurses (GPNs) in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has confirmed to Nursing in Practice that health minister Robin Swann has ‘approved funding’ for a 6% increase for general practice staff ‘expenses’ for 2023/24. This is understood to primarily cover pay and will be backdated to April 2023. However, the department stressed that as ind
Nursing in Practice •

Interview: The lead nurse supporting ParalympicsGB this summer

A nurse heading to the Paralympic Games in Paris to support participating athletes this summer has spoken exclusively about her unique and rewarding role. Kim Brinkworth, an NHS ward manager, told Nursing in Practice it was her managerial experience, alongside years of clinical training, that had prepared her so well for the games. The Paris competition will be Ms Brinkworth’s fifth experience of the games, having supported team GB at Beijing in 2007 and first working as lead nurse at Rio de J
Nursing in Practice •

New preceptorship and clinical supervision policy for NHS nurses in Wales

A new preceptorship and clinical supervision mandate for NHS nurses in Wales should be seen as a ‘benchmark for good practice’ by GP surgeries across the country, the Welsh Government has said. Chief nursing officer (CNO) for Wales Sue Tranka has unveiled plans for ‘career-spanning’ support for nurses employed by NHS Wales – which largely covers those working for health boards and trusts. NHS organisations have been mandated by the CNO to introduce a preceptorship programme for newly registere
Empoword Journalism •

Meet The Women Fighting To Improve Welsh Endometriosis Care

Women with endometriosis are forming support groups across Wales, offering advice and creating communities for those living with the often overlooked condition. Katie Jackson was 10 when her first period arrived, accompanied by an intense and unfamiliar pain. Despite major distress and worsening agony, Katie was told that she just had “bad periods” which were “normal” and something she’d “get used to.” Now 25, Katie suffers daily from pain which was recently diagnosed as endometriosis, a chron
Nursing in Practice •

Nurses among ‘least likely’ to recommend working in NHS

Only around one in four nurses would recommend working in the NHS, a new report has suggested. Research from the University of Bath also found increased staffing and pay were among the main priorities for NHS nurses seeking changes and retention improvements. The new report – ‘Should I Stay or Should I go? Monitoring influences on NHS staff retention in the post-Covid-19 World’ – is the fourth in a series of studies analysing NHS workforce retention levels since November 2020. The data used w
Nursing in Practice •

Cass Review: NHSE pledges training for staff across primary and community care

NHS England has pledged to create a ‘training curriculum and competencies framework’ around gender identity for children and young people for staff working across primary, secondary and community care. The commitment comes after consultant paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass published her final report as part of a four-year independent review of gender identity services for children and young people. The review, published on Wednesday, sets out 32 recommendations including for further research on the
Nursing in Practice •

Hospice launches sponsorship campaign to raise funds for nursing care

A charity-run hospice has introduced its first ‘Sponsor a Nurse’ campaign in an effort to raise vital funding for the nursing care it provides. The appeal for donations at St Raphael’s Hospice in London Road, Sutton, comes amid serious concerns over end-of-life care funding and as those at the hospice describe ‘hanging on by our fingernails just trying to keep things going’. St Raphael’s cares for over 1,000 people and provides free end-of-life care to one in four people in the Merton and Sutt
Nursing in Practice •

Community mental health nurses in GP practices ‘significantly improve’ patient wellbeing

Having community mental health nurses based at GP practices can significantly improve patient health outcomes, a new study has suggested. The research from Staffordshire University is based on anonymised data of more than 1,500 patients at a primary care mental health service in North Staffordshire. Patients in the study were treated over a period of three years by mental health nurses delivering targeted psychological interventions for a range of mental health problems. Self-rated scores for
The Monitor Magazine •

Wearable Technology: The Next Stage of Endometriosis Care?

“The real trouble is there’s such a diversity of symptoms, endometriosis is absolutely a nightmare disorder and can have a terrible effect.” So says Dr Philippa Saunders, co-director at The University of Edinburgh’s EXPPECT Centre for Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis, a leading researcher into endometriosis treatment and pain. Dr Saunders leads a team researching how effective and personalised treatment can be delivered via wearable smart technologies, helping to deliver long-term management a
Kent Live •

Inside Kent's ‘lost’ gardens which provided flowers for The Queen

Ten minutes from the heart of lies Reuthe’s ‘Lost Gardens’, an award-winning plant nursery which stretches across 11 acres of stunning land. The garden’s beauty comes after 30 years of neglect, with the area becoming impenetrable. Now, owner Claire Price has led a major renovation, making the area public after acquiring the land in 2016. Reuthe’s was first established as a nursery and arboretum by Jewish émigré Gustav Reuthe in 1902. Despite leaving Germany in fear of his life, Gustav went on
Tunbridge Wells Local News | Times Local Newspaper •

Council Leader reveals key points of proposed five-year plan for Borough

“EVERY time I leave school and I’m in town or out and about in the Borough, I get really excited about the potential of this place. This could be the best middle-sized town in the country to live in, if we get it right,” says Council Leader and Kent schoolteacher Ben Chapelard as he exclusively discusses Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s (TWBC) proposed five-year draft strategic plan with the Times. The draft plan for 2024-2029 comes after a consultation of over 1,500 Tunbridge Wells residents
Tunbridge Wells Local News | Times Local Newspaper •

Barrister quits as LCF trial continues

THE London Capital Finance (LCF) civil proceedings continued in the High Court last week, February 20, with the barrister defending the mini-bond firm leaving court on the first day stating there was no prospect of their fees being paid. Before the opening submissions could begin Ian Mayes KC, who was representing former LCF Chief Executive Michael Andrew Thompson, stood down. He told the court that ‘despite best efforts’ Thompson had been unable to release the funds required to pay the barrist
Tunbridge Wells Local News | Times Local Newspaper •

Town’s Ukrainian community marks second year of the war

The Ukrainian community of Tunbridge Wells came together last weekend with an event to mark two years since the start of the Russian invasion. The event on February 24 was held at St Mary’s Ukrainian School which opened on the site of Skinner’s Kent Academy (SKA) in April 2023 and now supports over 70 Ukrainian children in the town. Wearing traditional Ukrainian vyshyvanka dress and surrounded by children’s versions of well-known Ukrainian paintings, families joined to sing their national anth
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