Three more sessions of an online symposium, ‘Innovations and transformations in nursing practice’, arranged by St Mark’s Hospital, a tertiary bowel centre in London. These sessions were originally broadcast on Friday, the 20th of November 2020, as part of St Mark’s 18th Annual International Congress, ‘Frontiers in colorectal and gastrointestinal disease: difficult decisions in GI disease’. In these sessions, Margaret Vance and Sarah Marshall explore ‘Transforming endoscopic surveillance’, Claire Taylor and Katy Hardy consider ‘Transforming colorectal cancer services’ and Nyarai Gondo and Liam Edwards look at ‘Transforming ward nursing’. This episode is in association with BSG Campus.

The first three sessions of an online symposium, ‘Innovations and transformations in nursing practice’, arranged by St Mark’s Hospital, a tertiary bowel centre in London. These sessions were originally broadcast on Friday, the 20th of November 2020, as part of St Mark’s 18th Annual International Congress, ‘Frontiers in colorectal and gastrointestinal disease: difficult decisions in GI disease’. In these sessions, Lisa Knight looks back on the ‘Year of the Nurse 2020’, Mark Radford looks forward to the ‘Future nurse: how innovations and transforming practice will prepare us for the future’, while Jennie Burch, Julia Williams and Benjamin Wakefield consider ‘Nurse education: preparing innovative nurses now and for the future’.

Wendy Osborne, Clinical Lead at Coloplast, speaks with Amanda Gunning, Lead Stoma Care Nurse at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital NHS Trust, about outward body profiles in people with an ostomy, covering the causes and impacts of parastomal bulges and hernias. They explain how stoma care nurses can help ostomates minimise the risk of hernia occurrence, as well as, should one occur, how it can be effectively assessed and managed to improve the patient’s comfort and quality of life. This episode is sponsored by Coloplast and ConvaTec.

This episode covers psychological therapies for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Benjamin Wakefield speaks to Graeme Smith, Professor of Nursing at the Caritas Institute of Higher Education in Hong Kong, about the symptoms of IBS, its causes and its links to the gut–brain axis, as well as how it can be diagnosed and treated. The focus is on mind-based management, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), gut-directed hypnotherapy (GDH), mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), touching on evidence of efficacy, cost implications and the specialist nursing role in holistic care for IBS patients.

Under increasing financial pressure, health services are having to confront a growing spend on stoma care appliances and accessories. Benjamin Wakefield speaks with Andrew Bird (Clinical Lead for Connect Prescription Service, Fittleworth) about how stoma care nurses, manufacturers and dispensers can control prescription costs without compromising on quality of care, and Andrew explains how patients can be empowered to use products effectively to reduce waste, save time and improve quality of life. This episode is sponsored by Rhodes Pharma.

How the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the way inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) nurses deliver care to patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Benjamin Wakefield and Lisa Younge (IBD Nurse Consultant, St Mark’s) talk to Catherine Stansfield (IBD Nurse Consultant, Salford Royal) and Pearl Avery (IBD Nurse Specialist, Dorset County/IBD Registry) about maintaining patient contact and managing medication at a distance, as well as answering difficult questions with rapidly moving information and overcoming reluctance to attend clinic. The conversation also reflects on how nurses can best handle the impact of redeployment, remote working and isolation on workload, wellbeing and professional independence. Finally, it considers how NHS IBD teams can maintain service provision over the next year, plan for a second wave and identify and protect high-risk patients, as well as learn from the pandemic and embrace new ways of delivering care. Follow the links to learn more about our sponsors, Galapagos Biotech, as well as Crohn's & Colitis UK, The IBD Registry and the British Society of Gastroenterology.

How the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer, including how endoscopy and oncology nurses have adapted the UK Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and surgical pathways to keep patients safe and ensure the best outcomes. Benjamin Wakefield and cohost Julia Williams (Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing, Bucks New University) are joined by Maggie Vance (Nurse Consultant in Gastroenterology, St Mark’s Hospital, London) and Claire Taylor (Macmillan Nurse Consultant, St Mark’s Hospital, London, and Visiting Lecturer, King’s College London).

ACPGBI – Considerations for multidisciplinary management of patients with colorectal cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic

Bowel Cancer UK – Changes to bowel cancer treatments available during the coronavirus pandemic

BSG – Guidance on recommencing GI Endoscopy in the deceleration & early recovery phases of the COVID-19 pandemic

Intercollegiate general surgery guidance on COVID-19

NICE – COVID-19 rapid guideline: delivery of systemic anticancer treatments

Introducing GINcast: the Gastrointestinal Nursing Podcast. Each episode, Benjamin Wakefield hosts conversations with experts an area of specialist practice to discuss clinical experience and scientific research, with a practical focus on providing holistic, cost-effective and patient-centred care. GINcast provides on-the-go learning for anyone working in GI, liver or stoma care nursing.