Commenting on the newly announced Nursing Quality Forum, Dr Linda Patterson, clinical vice president of the RCP, said:
We welcome the greater focus on patient care. Nurse leadership must be improved and the status of ward sisters should be bolstered, particularly on elderly care wards.
The RCP believes in order to achieve this, nurses should be given the status, authority, remuneration, development, and protected time to act as local guardians and leaders of standards and care. The RCP would like the review to consider the optimum number and ratio of nurses that are necessary to adequately and safely staff different types of wards. It is also necessary to improve ward rounds. The RCP is working with the Royal College of Nursing to establish best practice in this area, which will also improve team working between nurses and consultants. Consultants must work closely with nurse to ensure better care.
The RCP believes the government should have a particular focus on the nursing of older patients on wards, which can be where sub-standard care is often concentrated. The RCP is developing a ‘quality mark’ for all wards caring for older people wards in an effort to improve standards. We are also developing a toolkit that will describe best practice in care management for older patients.
The RCP believes that clinical leadership is necessary to improve standards of care on wards. Doctors and nurses must be supported in leadership roles.
Read more abou the Nursing Quality Forum on the Department of Health website
For further information, please contact Lisa Cunningham, Public Affairs Manager, on +44 (0)20 3075 1468 / 07990 745610, or email Lisa.cunningham@rcplondon.ac.uk