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Radical rodents and suffering hounds in Don Bluth’s The Secret of NIMH and Martin Rosen’s The Plague Dogs
No full textNeurodiversity, chronic illness, and disability
No full textThis chapter explores the experiences of three nursing and midwifery academics living with unseen impairments, including neurodiversity, chronic illness, and disability, within higher education. Through personal narratives, the authors examine the intersection of gender, disability, and professional identity, highlighting how systemic structures and societal expectations shape their lived experiences. Drawing on feminist materialist disability theory, the chapter challenges deficit-based models of disability and argues for a reframing of impairment as difference rather than deficiency. The authors discuss the complexities of disclosure, reasonable adjustments, and the cultural barriers that contribute to ableism in academia. They critique the resilience discourse that often places undue burden on individuals rather than addressing institutional change. By foregrounding lived experience and autoethnographic reflections, this chapter contributes to the ongoing dialogue on inclusivity, advocating for structural transformation in nursing and midwifery education to better support disabled academics and students
Understanding footwear needs: a conceptual review
No full textIntroduction
This conceptual review is the first work to explore the concept of footwear needs. The review draws upon multidisciplinary literature to synthesise and formulate the first iteration of conceptual understanding of footwear needs.
Methods
A systematic search was performed and through a screening process, 81 studies were included in this conceptual review. The included studies were analysed using the Pragmatic Utility meta-synthesis method to develop conceptual understanding and framework. The review process was further strengthened through expert consultation.
Results
The definition of footwear needs is defined as ‘footwear requirements for the well-being of a person’. Preconditions of footwear needs include characteristics related to the person, product (footwear), and circumstances. Attributes of footwear needs encompass physical (fit for foot and fit for purpose), safety (footwear safety and financial safety), social (fit for person and fit for society), and emotional (increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotions) needs. Outcomes of footwear needs are related to physical, psychological and social aspects of a person. The conceptual framework of footwear needs illustrates the relationships between various factors underlying footwear needs. Footwear comfort is also identified as an allied concept and a potential outcome when footwear needs are achieved.
Conclusion
This conceptual review provides valuable insights into footwear needs, offering a foundation for future research and practical applications in footwear assessment, education and interventions
(In)visible sexuality
No full textThis chapter explores the impact of sexuality on academic nurses and midwives, with a particular focus on the experiences of one lesbian academic. It aims to highlight the influence of heteronormativity in a predominantly straight, female workforce and draw connections between queer theory, literature, and personal experiences.
The chapter is divided into several sections: an introduction to the visibility of lesbians in academia, a discussion on the influence of heteronormativity, an exploration of queer theory concepts, and personal narratives that illustrate these themes. Visibility of lesbians in academia and practice will be explored using demographic data and other sources. Lesbians, it seems, are an invisible group especially in midwifery but also in higher education. Being ‘out’ as a lesbian is not a fixed state. It is not obviously visible, hence the title of this chapter, so I examine the literature and a reflective account of one experience of coming out to explore whether and how this is shared, to whom, and for what purpose. There are signs and symbols that can make one’s sexuality more open to identification by others. These will be discussed using performativity and liminality, two other concepts within queer theory
A comparison of ‘Only-Once’ and repeat male and female sex offence suspects
No full textUnderstanding the differences between male and female sex offence suspects is vital for the development of appropriate prevention, assessment, and treatment guidance. Previous comparisons of male and female sex offenders have mostly used clinical, prison, or arrest data, or used small samples. Where there are larger scale studies, they have been based in the United States. This study analysed a large sample of sex offences recorded by three police forces in England and Wales to compare the characteristics of male and female sex offence suspects who have been reported once – ‘only-once suspects’ –, or multiple times – ‘repeat suspects’. Suspects were more likely to be male, and a greater proportion of male than female suspects were repeat suspects. However, when separated into only-once suspects versus repeat suspects, male and female suspects did not significantly differ in either the number of sex offence reports in which they were named, nor the number of victims with which they were associated. Despite this, females were significantly less likely to be charged than males, suggesting that authorities are less confident in taking forward cases with female suspects. Implications of findings and how male and female sex offence suspects are policed are further discussed.
Practice impact statement: Repeat male and female sex offence suspects were associated with the same number of victims and crimes. However, females were charged to a lesser extent suggesting there is a gap in sex offender punishment and more needs to be done to increase professional awareness of the risks posed by female sex offenders
The timely and effective completion of initial investigative actions in rape investigations
No full textThis research assessed how five police forces participating in Operation Soteria Bluestone conducted first response and early investigative actions in rape cases. The focus was on whether these actions were completed appropriately, sufficiently, and in a timely manner. Researchers reviewed case logs from 59 rape offences across five forces. Each log was coded using a standard format to identify completed actions, missing information, and the timing and quality of responses. Descriptive analyses were conducted to explore how often each investigative action was
taken, and judgements made based on a standard set of criteria as to whether they were completed effectively and in a timely manner. Data from the qualitative analyses were used to provide additional context.
Most investigative actions were completed (between 72.88% and 100% of the time), demonstrating that whilst first responders and officers are generally conducting the early crucial steps in rape investigations, timeliness of these actions varied widely, completed promptly in only 69.49% - 90.62% of cases. Even more concerning was the sufficiency in which these actions were completed, which ranged from 49.15% - 66.66%. Qualitative data revealed that these shortcomings were often due to limited specialist knowledge and resource constraints. These factors affected both the speed and quality of early investigative practices, with important implications for victim safety and evidential integrity. This study provides a unique contribution by analysing case data to evaluate frontline police actions in the earliest stages of rape investigations - an area often neglected in existing research. While prior studies have focused on victim experiences or criminal justice outcomes, this paper highlights
operational gaps in initial investigative practices, including evidence collection, safeguarding, and logging information. The findings emphasise the foundational role of early police action in determining case progression and outcomes, aligning with the principles of the National Operating
Model for rape and serious sex offences and offering practical recommendations for improvement
Experiences of midwifery education as a neurodivergent student
No full textResearch around neurodivergent midwifery students is sparse despite the rising number of neurodivergent healthcare professionals. Despite there being an increase in neurodiversity understanding within universities to support educational adjustments, students' experiences within practical placements are an underexplored area of health programmes, especially midwifery. This chapter aims to shine a light on some of the challenges and facilitators for neurodivergent students completing a professional healthcare course, which could essentially be transferable to other professional courses too, such as Nursing, Paramedic Science, Radiography, and Mental Health Nursing programmes
Implementing evidence-based practice in critical care nursing: an ethnographic case study of knowledge use.
Full text linkAim: To explore how critical care nurses access, negotiate, and apply knowledge in high-pressure clinical environments, focusing on organisational, cultural, and leadership factors influencing evidence-based practice implementation in acute hospital settings.
Design: A focused ethnographic collective case study conducted across two contrasting critical care units in England.
Methods: Methods included non-participant observation (56 sessions), semi-structured interviews (36 participants), and document review. Spradley’s Developmental Research Sequence guided data generation and analysis. Data were collected over an eight-month (February to September 2022).
Findings: Five major themes were identified: sources of knowledge and acquisition strategies; institutional and hierarchical influences on knowledge use; role of experiential knowledge and clinical intuition; challenges to evidence-based practice implementation; and strategies for integrating knowledge into practice. Organisational structures, leadership engagement, mentorship, and access to updated digital resources were key enablers of evidence-based practice. Barriers included workload pressures, inconsistent guideline dissemination, and hierarchical cultures. Adaptive blending of formal evidence, clinical experience, and intuition characterised effective knowledge negotiation at the bedside.
Conclusion: Knowledge use in critical care nursing is a dynamic, relational process shaped by leadership, organisational culture, and systemic pressures. Availability of evidence alone is insufficient; visible leadership, peer learning, protected educational time, and valuing of experiential knowledge are critical to embedding evidence-based practice into routine practice.
Implications for Patient Care: Strengthening organisational systems, investing in nurse manager development, expanding simulation-based learning, and legitimising experiential knowledge are vital strategies to enhance evidence-based critical care.
Impact: This study provides actionable insights for healthcare leaders, educators, and policymakers seeking to optimise evidence-based practice adoption in high-acuity clinical environments and improve patient outcomes.
Reporting Method: The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist guided reporting.
No Patient or Public Involvement: Patients and the public were not involved in the design, conduct, reporting, or dissemination of this research
Poachers, politicians, and the police: The Poaching Prevention Act of 1862
Full text linkThe period after 1850 is often assumed to have witnessed some amelioration in the operation of the game code. This article highlights the origins of a little-researched statute, the 1862 Poaching Prevention Act, which conversely augmented the existing game laws and, most significantly, bestowed new responsibilities and powers on the police to tackle poachers at a critical point in the development of the new county constabularies. This controversial measure owed much to the particular circumstances of the 1850s and early 1860s when the violence and criminality associated with the activities of poaching gangs in Midland and northern counties threatened both game preservation and the authority of the new police. In these circumstances, an alliance of magistrates, police leaders and parliamentary advocates successfully lobbied for new measures to deal with this specific class of offenders who were increasingly held as representative of a wider urban criminal class
Black American activism in 19th Century Britain and Ireland
No full textWelcome to this episode in the new series of Local History Matters, the podcast run by the British Association for Local History (BALH) to highlight hidden local histories. In this series, we will be discussing with researchers how they got into their field of study, and what their topic can tell us about local history more generally
In this episode, Dr Hannah-Rose Murray talks about her research into Black American activism in Britain and Ireland during the long nineteenth century.
Dr Hannah-Rose Murray is an interdisciplinary historian researching the Black freedom struggle in the US and Britain at the University of Suffolk. She is currently working on two monographs, both due to be published with Liverpool University Press, entitled Daguerrotyped on My Heart: African American Visual and Literary Cultures in 19th Century Britain and Feelings of Rebellion: Black Autobiography in Britain, 1850-1877.
You can follow along with the conversation about this podcast by using the hashtag #LocalHistoryMatters, and keep up to date with the work the BALH does by visiting our website https://www.balh.org.uk/ or following us on social media @BALHNews
Music credits: Trendsetter, Mood Maze, Uppbeat.io
Duration: 01:09:08
Published: 20th June 202