RCN resources
Here are some of the RCN products and services that are most relevant to the safety agenda. You may also want to check out other areas of the RCN website for our full range of resources. We have included a number of other resources from external bodies where appropriate.
Some of the resources below are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.
Safety
Health and safety
Working with care: improving working relationships in health care. Self-assessment tools for health care teams (2005) (PDF 277.3KB)
This suite of tools is designed to be used as part of an integrated approach to tackling bullying and harassment.
Bullying and harassment at work: a good practice guide for RCN negotiators and health care managers (2005) (PDF 735.3KB)
This document draws on the RCN's involvement with a wide range of health care organisations in the NHS and independent sector. It provides guidance for managers and RCN negotiators on good practice in dealing with workplace bullying and harassment.
Patient Safety
Patient safety module on the RCN Learning Zone
This module sets out the scale and gravity of patient safety incidents and how human factors, technical processes and organisational systems can all play a part in contributing to patient safety. You will find the module in the health and safety section of the Learning Zone [you can access this learning resource with your RCN membership number].
National Patient Safety Agency: Foresight Training Programme
The training programme resource pack made available by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) is a source of further online training. It has been developed to improve awareness in nursing and midwifery of the factors that combine to increase the likelihood of patient safety incidents.
Safeguarding
This resource aims to help RCN members locate information that is practical, useful, relevant and adaptable in different settings. Resources are arranged under the headings: adult; children and young people; vulnerable people; safeguarding professionals.
Infection prevention and control
The RCN considers infection prevention and control to be a core element of quality, patient safety and governance systems and as such it is one of the RCN's key areas of activity. These web pages bring together the latest news and guidance on infection prevention as well as resources and downloads to support the prevention and control of infection.
Essential practice for infection prevention and control (2012) (PDF 669.4KB)
The prevention and management of infection is the responsibility of all staff working in health and social care, and is an integral element of patient safety programmes. Understanding how infections occur and how different micro-organisms act and spread is crucial to preventing infections. This publication provides important information and guidance on the essential principles of infection prevention and control and highlights why other issues, such as hydration and nutrition, should be viewed as an essential complementary component of nursing practice. It provides an overview of the core elements and rationale for infection practice and associated activities and is applicable to all nurses, midwives and health care assistants, regardless of their practice setting.
Infection prevention and control: minimum standards (2008) (PDF 2.3MB)
These are the minimum standards that the Royal College of Nursing and the Infection Prevention Society believe should be accepted and mandated by Governments, the relevant UK Departments of Health and, where applicable, all independent health or social care organisations. Rationales have been included in order to highlight current issues relevant to the standards.
Guidance on uniforms and work wear (2009) (PDF 318.4KB)
This guidance, originally published in 2005 and now updated, sets out information on issues related to the selection, wearing and decontamination of uniforms or clothing worn in the delivery of patient care and is aimed at nurses and their employers. It can be applied to all settings in which health care takes place and for any clothing worn when undertaking patient care activities.
Nutrition and hydration resource: Patient safety
This section of the resource ( see ‘Quality’ section below for details) highlights the kinds of patient safety incidents that are associated with the risk of malnutrition and dehydration, and specific risks that might occur in enteral and parenteral nutrition. This section signposts guidance and tools to support patient safety in nutritional care.
RCN Direct online advice
The online advice resources include factsheets and guides and a searchable database of questions and answers on topics which include many aspects of safety. The Popular resources section brings together RCN and related resources on a range of particularly popular topics which includes bullying and harassment, and staffing levels [You can access RCN Direct information with your RCN membership number].
Quality
The RCN has published various materials and resources to inspire improvement in practice and boost the quality of care for patients and clients:
Principles of Nursing Practice
The Principles of Nursing Practice describe what everyone can expect from nursing practice whether colleagues, patient, their families or carers. They provide a framework for quality improvement initiatives. Principle C makes clear the importance of patient safety in delivering quality nursing care. You can find out more about this and the other Principles in this resource - how they were developed, how they are being used and how they can be measured.
Dignity resource
The RCN Dignity resource is based on the RCN's 2008/2009 'Dignity - at the heart of everything we do' campaign. It brings together key messages, resources and practical insights gained from the campaign and signposts UK-wide resources.
RCN Nutrition and hydration resource
Nutrition and hydration, when poorly managed, can pose a significant threat to patient safety. This resource, which builds on the learning and activities from the RCN Nutrition Now Campaign and related initiatives across the UK, uses the RCN Principles of Nursing Practice to illustrate the nursing contribution to good nutrition and hydration. It highlights what is known about the strategies required to improve nutritional care and signposts policy, guidance and tools across all four UK countries that support improvements in nutritional care. Examples and case studies demonstrate what can be achieved.
Clinical governance resource
This resource aims to promote better understanding of clinical governance and encourage more involvement with local and national quality improvement projects.
Staffing
Guidance on safe nurse staffing levels in the UK (2010) (PDF 1.7MB)
The document sets out the range of different factors that influence the total demand for staff across the four UK countries, including the economic context and quality, safety, and productivity initiatives. It then highlights the variety of methods for planning or reviewing staff. Safety issues are discussed throughout the guidance but there is also a specific section on patient safety which looks at evidence around the impact of staffing on patient outcomes and safety of care. Appendices set out some recommended staffing minimums in the UK and describe different staff planning tools, their key features, advantages and disadvantages.
There is also a shorter paper that summarises the RCN policy position in relation to safe staffing levels – see: RCN policy position: evidence-based nurse staffing levels (PDF 186.9KB).
Defining staffing levels for children's and young people's services (2003) (PDF 2.3MB)This follows on from the Skill-mix and staffing in children's wards and departments published in 1999 and gives further information and specific guidance on staffing levels.
Guidance on nurse staffing in critical care: Guidance for nurses (2003) (PDF 667.8KB)
This looks at the critical care nurse role and offers guidance in recognising aspects of nursing care to be taken into account when determining nursing requirements.
Reporting concerns
Everyone has a duty to report safety concerns using the systems in place to enable this to happen. This includes speaking to their manager, using the internal incident reporting system in your organisation and if you work for the NHS in England or Wales, reporting to the National Patient Safety Agency through the National Reporting and Learning System.
Speak up for a healthy NHS: How to implement and review whistleblowing arrangements in your organisation (2010) (PDF 308KB)
New guidance on whistleblowing published by the Social Partnership Forum and developed with the charity Public Concern at Work. The RCN is a member of the Social Partnership Forum.
Nursing and Midwifery Council: The Code: standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives
The NMC Code includes issues around management of risk and raising concerns.
Blowing the whistle: information for nurses (2004) (PDF 108KB)
This leaflet summarises the whistle-blowing legislation and desribes how nursing staff can disclose facts about work situations that are causing them concern.
Raising concerns raising standards
This is an additional service to members who have concerns over clinical and staff safety in the workplace. Registered nurses have a duty under the NMC to report concerns where patient care may be affected. It is important that nurses raise concerns directly with their employer. The raising concerns raising standards initiative is not an alternative to raising issues with your employer. However The RCN is keen to hear of any issue that you think impinges on patient safety and the steps you have taken to get the matter resolved - See Speaking out. Whistleblowing hotline (PDF 536KB).
Competency
Monitoring the quality of your own work is essential in maintaining the safety of patients. It is therefore important to maintain and develop the competencies required in your role and to facilitate students and others in developing their competencies.
The RCN's Learning Zone's ePortfolio is the place where you can capture information about your personal and professional development and make use of all the information and evidence about you and your skills. It can be used for your KSF submission, or just to demonstrate that you are continuously developing your skills and knowledge. For further information about the ePortfolio visit the Learning Zone.
For more information about learning opportunities available in the Learning Zone on topics relating to patient safety see Learning with the RCN.
CPD online learning
This is a selection of topics from the RCN Learning Zone which provides online continuing professional development (CPD) topics that are relevant across the whole nursing team. The topics include learning opportunities on Dignity in health care and ‘Supporting people’s nutritional needs’.
For details of further RCN resources that you can use to find out more and update yourself on this topic see Discover more.