Parental anxiety in food allergy: using a cognitive behavioural therapy approach to guide early intervention.

Food allergy is a common allergic disease and often coexists with other allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema. Parents of children and young people with food allergy commonly experience stress and anxiety and this can significantly affect their child's mental health. Interventions that incorporate approaches from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can reduce stress and anxiety in parents of children and young people with food allergy and support healthy adjustment and psychological well-being in their children. However, access to psychological services is limited. This article uses reflection on a case study to illustrate the value of taking a CBT-informed intervention approach and to outline the potential role for nurses in its delivery. Research suggests that talking therapies may improve mental health and parenting behaviours in the parents of children and young people with a range of long-term conditions, so this article is also relevant to their care.

Engaging nurses to achieve a culture of excellence: a children's hospital journey towards Pathway to Excellence accreditation.

High-quality nursing care is linked to improved patient experience and patient outcomes, so having work environments that nurture a culture of nursing excellence is fundamental to delivering high-quality patient care. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) runs the Pathway to Excellence programme, an international accreditation recognising healthcare organisations that provide nurses with a positive and safe practice environment in which they can excel. In 2020, Nottingham Children's Hospital became the first children's hospital in Europe to gain Pathway to Excellence accreditation, demonstrating that it has developed a culture of nursing excellence and a positive environment for nurses to work in. This article describes the hospital's journey towards accreditation. Crucial to its success were strategic planning, transformational leadership and using a change management approach, as well as effective staff engagement guided by the ADKAR model for change, an acronym representing five individual outcomes in terms of awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement.