Making a principled promise

Published: 25 May 2012

Tanis Hand, RCN HCA and AP Adviser, looks back at an RCN Congress seminar on the Principles of Nursing Practice

In all of our e-newsletters so far we have been focusing on each of the Principles of Nursing Practice, as they are such a fundamental part of good nursing care.

So far we have looked at principles A-D, but in this e-newsletter let us have a look at the principles in practice, following the fantastic workshops at RCN Congress for health care assistants, assistant practitioners and students, which were run by our HCA and AP Committee.

The principles make clear exactly what quality nursing care looks like. They were developed with patients and for patients. They can be used by nursing staff to reflect on their own practice and evaluate nursing care. They can also be shared with patients and their families or carers so they can give feedback on the care provided.

The aim of each session, run by the commitee at Congress, was to generate informative discussion on care delivery and to consider how the principles could be used to improve patient care. Some patient stories were shown and discussed, and at the end of the sessions the delegates were asked to make a principles promise: “What will I do differently that will reflect the principles in my everyday practice?”

The promises could be related to anything, no matter how small, that would make a difference to patient care. They should be “active” statements, describing a change that will be seen and felt once put into place.

The promises were written on postcards and will be sent to their authors in a few weeks as a reminder of the promises they made. The promises showed just how relevant the principles are in practice, and included many around dignity and humanity, and in particular a person centred approach. Improving communication and having the confidence to challenge practice also came high on the list.

One delegate summed it up with: “I promise to ask all my patients about their day and their life”. Another promised “I will lead by example by exploring alternative ways of communicating with people I care for, to help them express themselves clearer and more effectively - and never just assume the obvious”.

I am sure that everyone who attended will have reflected on their practice and most will agree that they already practise the principles at work. But clearly the sessions gave the delegates the opportunity to explore their practice in more depth and judging by the promises made I know they will be helping to keep the principles of nursing practice at the front of people's minds.

You can access the Principles of Nursing Practice from the RCN website.