Preparing a well-written report: an essential skill for the public safety officer.

In this basic introduction and refresher to the art of report writing, the author points out that, besides the importance of the report to the successful handling on an incident, public safety officer reports have a direct relationship to their professionalism. He stresses that sloppy, incomplete and/or incorrect reports can further a perception that the officer is an incompetent and/or ineffective public safety officer.

Recruiting and selection of healthcare public safety officers.

The recruiting and selection of professional public safety officers is the first step in developing and maintaining a world class public safety service. Working closely with the human resources department, and utilizing techniques developed by the law enforcement community, the public safety director can build a strong foundation for future growth. This is the first of a series of articles on all aspects of public safety personnel administration.

Case management of individuals with long-term conditions by community matrons: report of qualitative findings of a mixed method evaluation.

AIM: To consider findings from a study that evaluated case management of individuals with long-term conditions (LTCs) by a community matron (CM) service. The paper highlights issues related to the implementation of a new role and the impact this had on the experience of care across hospital and community settings for patients and their carers. BACKGROUND: The introduction of the role of CM was intended to increase effective management of patients with complex comorbid LTCs through the introduction of case management, thereby reducing unplanned hospital admissions. METHODS: The overall methodological approach was one of mixed methods. This paper reports the qualitative findings from CMs (n = 15); patients (n = 13); family carers (n = 8); and secondary care staff who interface with the CM service (n = 7). Data were collected between October 2009 and May 2010. FINDINGS: A thematic analysis resulted in the identification of four themes: (1) visibility; (2) interpersonal relationships; (3) leadership; and (4) systems/professional boundaries. Patients enjoyed being seen as a whole and family carers appreciated the coordination aspect of the role. Difficulties arose from the limited understanding of the CM role and from a lack of a shared vision across healthcare professionals concerning the role and its goals.