Significant book on improving quality of nursing care for older people published by Kingston University Emerita Professor

Posted Tuesday 16 May 2023

Emerita Professor of Health and Social Care at Kingston University Fiona Ross has worked with colleagues at King's College London and Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust to publish a book helping with the care of older people.

The latest instalment in a series of books designed to help health professionals wanting to improve the quality of care for older people has been published by a health and social care expert at Kingston University.

The long-awaited fifth edition of Redfern's Nursing Older People provides accessible, evidence-based information for nurses, care assistants and other health professionals, and was put together by Emerita Professor of Health and Social Care at Kingston University Fiona Ross, who was Senior Editor of the book.

She worked alongside academics Professor Ruth Harris and Dr Joanne Fitzpatrick from King's College London and Dr Claire Abley from the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust, who all used their expert knowledge in the fields of nursing and healthcare to contribute to the book.

The book, named in honour of founding editor and former leading academic at King's College Sally Redfern, has been published by Elsevier and sees new contributions for the latest edition explore emerging challenges, such as understanding frailty, the use of digital technology, diversity, service-user perspectives and the impact of Covid-19.

The comprehensively revised edition has 36 chapters drawn from the fields of nursing, social sciences, gerontology and healthcare practice. It applies the best evidence in straightforward and practical ways to the challenges of ageing, and focuses on nursing-led solutions to improving activities of daily living, independence and preventing common problems of ageing, illustrating these complex problems in an accessible way.

Professor Ross said the book will help equip nurses with the best tools when caring for older people. "I am proud the fifth edition is being launched by a great new editorial team and believe nurses can use this resource to be well equipped to lead the way for good care of older people. This book discusses the challenges of ageing well and offers practical solutions based in evidence."

Professor Harris and Dr Fitzpatrick said the book will provide a significant resource to support nurses to develop their expertise and inspire them to be innovative in their practice. "Delivering high-quality, person-centred care for older people, their families and friends requires nurses to have specialist knowledge and skills and professional beliefs and values. Nurses can help older people to age well, by overcoming their often complex physical, relational, and psychosocial needs."