Top tips from Brenda and David

Published: 29 November 2012

In each of our e-newsletters we are focusing on each of the Principles of Nursing Practice, as they are such a fundamental part of good nursing care. Whether you are a health care assistant (HCA) or an assistant practitioner (AP), and whether you work in acute care, mental health, the independent sector or indeed anywhere, the principles will apply to you and your colleagues.

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.
Read about the Principles of Nursing Practice.

In this e-newsletter we take a look at Principles F and G.

Brenda McIlmurrayPrinciple F

Nurses and nursing staff have up-to-date knowledge and skills, and use these with intelligence, insight and understanding in line with the needs of each individual in their care.

Written by Brenda McIlmurray, Health Practitioner Member of RCN Council (representing HCAs and APs)

The role of HCAs and APs is developing so it is essential to keep our skills and competences up to date. We also need proper professional development so we can effectively do the job.

Maintaining our skills and competences is central to patient care, and as HCAs and APs, we often spend more time with patients than other health care colleagues. You don’t necessarily need to do a course or go into a classroom or other academic environment, it could be simply be learning about a new piece of equipment, or finding out about something new that you, or a colleague, heard or read.

Where I work in Northern Ireland, we have had some great examples of how practice has been improved following colleagues enhancing their skills.
For example, some HCA colleagues went to a continence seminar and heard about new ways of working. When they came back to the ward we changed and improved how everyone on the ward works. In another example, a staff nurse went on a course to become a facilitator on dementia care. She came back and was able to work with HCAs and other staff to improve understanding of the condition, as well as spotting ways we can improve our practice.
Also, the Northern Ireland Knowledge and Skills Framework means all staff, from HCAs to management, have a discussion over training needs every year, which I think is very positive and keeps learning high on everyone’s agenda. All nursing staff, wherever they work, should have annual appraisals which would include a review of their training needs and requirements.

As an RCN learning representative I’m quite persistent when it comes to training and development. Colleagues see me coming around to let them know what is going on. When training opportunities come up I try to put up a poster about it or tell individuals if I think it will be helpful to them.
I am forever trying to get more learning reps, it is my passion. Many people do not expect to see an HCA learning rep, but it has opened up a wide world for me and I am getting a lot of training because of it. I would recommend it to HCAs and APs as a role, and there are more details on the RCN website.

As HCAs and APs we see a lot, hear a lot and notice a lot. We are all individuals and we have our own skills and our own strengths. We need to be able to respond with our knowledge.

David CardwellPrinciple G

Nurses and nursing staff work closely with their own team and with other professionals, making sure patients’ care and treatment is co-ordinated, is of a high standard and has the best possible outcome.

Written by David Cardwell, Health Practitioner Member of RCN Council (representing HCAs and APs)

As an operating department practitioner, I am responsible for the care of my patients through their perioperative journey.

I work with nurses, ODPs, HCAs, APs, students and doctors in a busy main theatre complex where communication is the key to a safe, successful operation and recovery.

We use the SBAR communication tool around the trust:

This tool allows staff to communicate both assertively and effectively.

We have to work as a multi disciplinary team. As an ODP, I work very closely with anaesthetists and surgeons, and my focus is to keep my patient safe through anaesthesia, surgery and post op anaesthesia (recovery).

We can share ideas and assess, plan, implement and evaluate the care we provide as a team. Reflection is also a powerful tool to think about the care we have provided. We can then focus on evidence-based, patient focused care on every shift.

We also have nursing students and trainee assistant practitioners on a short but busy theatre placement, and it a joy to mentor them.