Patients and public being consulted over new standards for nurses
The Nursing and Midwifery Council is urging Brits to get involved with drafting a new code of care for nurses and midwives, to avoid further criticism of a lack of compassion.
The NMC is drafting a new version of its code, which sets out standards of conduct, performance and ethics. The recommended changes include a pilot scheme for nurses to spend time working as support workers and healthcare assistants before taking their degrees, to ensure that patients are treated with kindness, consideration and respect.
The draft report will also cover areas such as care, communication, teamwork, professionalism and complaints handling.
Standard of nursing
The NMC regulates the UK’s 670,000 nurses and midwives. Nurses have to be registered with the NMC to practice – and they have to abide by the code.
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, told BBC News “It is vital that healthcare is centred around the needs of the patient. The NMC Code lays out the standards of conduct to which all nurses and midwives must adhere when treating their patients. It is therefore essential that patients themselves are genuinely and meaningfully involved at all stages in the planning, development and implementation of the code.”
Jackie Smith, NMC chief executive, said “This is a chance to tell us what is important to you, and explain exactly what you expect from the people who care for you.”
