Media texts can influence and reinforce social dimensions of the label. The beliefs and attitudes of healthcare professionals and parents about smacking may be influenced by such representations.

A wide range of literature suggests that both public and professional opinion is divided on the use of smacking as a form of discipline of young children. Opinion is also divided on the ability of legislation to bring about change in social attitudes and behaviour. Health care professionals need to be in a position to recommend best practice and to do so consistently.

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Managers in healthcare services have ever-increasing demands to consider in relation to front line care, including the continuing professional education needs of qualified practitioners who are advancing their roles. One advancement is non-medical prescribing, and this article reports part of the findings from a survey undertaken in Scotland which explored managers’ views of the clinical support of staff enrolled on a non-medical prescribing programme. The article discusses how managers have an important role to play in supporting these learners in practice, and suggests all stakeholders should be aware of the pressure this adds to managers, and seek creative solutions to support the process of learning.Read More:http://journals.rcni.com/doi/abs/10.7748/nm.23.3.25.s2

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Recent policy relating to smoking cessation, including the ban on smoking in public places across the UK, has encouraged practitioners delivering smoking cessation services to consider ways of improving and enhancing services to clients who wish to stop smoking. This article discusses how a smoking cessation practitioner, working in a primary care setting improved the smoking cessation services provided to clients by becoming a nurse independent prescriber.

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