How many times recently have you seen a nurse in uniform (a real one) outside her workplace? The answer should be zero, since a Government report from September 2007 suggests that nurses should not be seen in uniform outside hospital.

It aggravates the problem of trying to eat well at work, says Nursing Times (March 18), since nurses may be discouraged from finding healthy food options off-site. “That can also be a challenge for community nurses who need to grab a sandwich while they're on the run,” says Kim Sunley, senior employment relations adviser at the Royal College of Nursing.

Access to healthy food is also a problem in deprived areas, reports Children & Young People Now (March 19), and it costs up to 20 per cent more. The findings were uncovered by the Food Initiatives Group, which looked at prices across Nottingham. Volunteers visited shops with a list of healthy food to see how much they could buy and at what price.

“We found food in deprived areas was more expensive and availability more limited,” says Mary Kenning, who carried out the study. “Prices are significantly higher than in mainstream supermarkets, which these people don't have easy access to. We're talking about 15 per cent to 20 per cent higher in smaller shops.” She says that many children go to the chip shop at lunch, which creates mixed messages given the work around improving school meals. But they're not the only ones. “Sometimes choosing the salad when you can smell the chips can be quite difficult,” Julian Topping, head of health at NHS Employers, tells Nursing Times.

Cities need freedom to choose

Bureaucrats take note: from Vancouver to Hong Kong, a new report concludes that it pays to let cities think for themselves.

Background

• A portion of chips or a shiny apple?

• Light touch to get lighter

• Tighter belts on the way

• Mental health patients and staff face problems

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