Journal of Community Nursing

4 JCN 2020,Vol 34, No 4 Editorial T he importance of compression therapy to treat our patients with venous leg ulcers should never be underestimated, as highlighted in this issue’s ‘community matters’ piece ( pp. 8–11 ). If you have any doubts or fears about your ability/competence to apply compression, do give it a read, as the passion for compression shines through, as well as the necessity to ensure that adequate therapeutic levels are applied to achieve positive patient outcomes. With rates of sepsis soaring, it is also incumbent on all healthcare professionals to know the signs and symptoms so that cases can be referred early to reduce morbidity and save lives. Richard White’s editorial ( p. 22 ) provides an informative overview of key features to observe so that you can recognise sepsis and be accountable for this devastating condition. Returning to front line community nursing during the coronavirus crisis has clearly been an emotional, impactful, and challenging experience for clinicians, as seen by the reflections of some of those who did just that ( pp. 30–32 ). And, as the pandemic continues to affect each and every one of us, both in our personal and working lives, I think it is important to take a little time to reflect on how quickly, efficiently and effectively we have adapted. We have been forced to change our‘normal’ways of working to ensure patients continue to receive the care that they need at the right time and in the right place. I am positive that all community-based services will have been forced to make, what may seem, never-ending changes due to the fluidity of the situation we face. To make some sense of everything we have encountered, we should take the opportunity to reflect on the changes we have made, as I am confident that some will have actually improved our efficiency and will continue to remain within our practice. The extended use of electronic resources has been vital to ensuring communication between individuals and services, and my personal experiences indicate that communication has actually been enhanced. Training and education was initially at a standstill, however the use of teaching sessions via electronic resources is now increasing as we consistently adapt (don’t forget to keep an eye out for what’s coming next with the JCN Facebook Live events — www.jcn.co.uk/facebook ). Please try to find a little‘you’ time and remember to be kind to yourself. Annette Bades, editor-in-chief, JCN Journal of Community Nursing Journal of Community Nursing incorporating Journal of District Nursing August/September 2020 Managing director Alec O’Dare alec@woundcarepeople.com Editor-in-chief Annette Bades In-patient clinical lead, Bury Hospice Publisher/editor Binkie Mais binkie@jcn.co.uk Sales manager Sam Ciotkowski sam@jcn.co.uk 01789 332162 ©Wound Care People Limited 2020 Unit G,Wixford Park, George’s Elm Lane, Bidford on Avon, Alcester B50 4JS ISSN 0263 4465 t: +44(0) 1789 582000 e: mail@jcn.co.uk http://www.jcn.co.uk Journal of Community Nursing is indexed with CINAHL and British Nursing Index (BNI) Published bi-monthly and distributed free of charge to community and district practitioners based at primary and secondary care locations throughout the United Kingdom. Also available on subscription. Institutional and overseas subscription rates: United Kingdom: £155.00 Overseas: £285.00 All rights reserved. No part of this Journal of Community Nursing may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means electronic or mechanical, photocopied or otherwise without the prior written permission of Wound Care People Limited. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Journal of Community Nursing . Any products referred to by the authors should only be used as recommended by manufacturers’data sheets. Meeting patients’ needs in the community Pictures on front cover courtesy of: Savannah1969; Alexander Raths; Dml5050; Dvkorn; John Keith; Elena Elisseeva; all at Dreamstime.com If you would like to comment on any of the articles in JCN, or indeed have ideas of your own for an article, please contact: binkie@jcn.co.uk