Films reveal a passion for compassion
Published: 12 February 2013
The passion and personal touch that the Royal College of Nursing believes typifies the practice of the vast majority of nurses is showcased in a series of films designed to champion the fundamentals of delivering high-quality, compassionate care.
The RCN and Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) in Birmingham have collaborated in the production of the short stories, in which nurses and other health care staff employed by the Trust each talk about a treasured moment in their care of a patient.
In one film, community nurse Julie Davis describes how on a home visit she had to tell a patient that he was dying. His wife, who was outside the room and who already knew of his terminal illness, asked Julie what she should say to him. Julie said: ‘Just go in there and give him a big hug.’
Reflecting on ‘a very special moment’ Julie said: “It was a very distraught family, and the news I gave, even though it was bad news, brought that family together.”
In another vignette, ward sister Gemma Wilkes explains how, in hearing a complaint from a relative about how she was received on the ward when visiting her dying mother-in-law, she was reminded of the profound privilege and responsibility of being a nurse.
Gemma says: “What we do as nurses is build that experience, we build that memory. We only get one shot at it, we can’t repeat it. When that person’s gone, anything that the nurse has done that didn’t seem right is exacerbated in their (the relative’s) mind.”
The series of films, entitled Real Stories, Real Nursing, was compiled to show how the RCN’s Principles of Nursing Practice can be identified in everyday nursing practice. The Principles were developed to describe what everyone can expect from nursing in practice as well as in theory.
HEFT will use the films in its staff learning and development activities and the RCN will publish the videos in the online Learning Zone of its website to enable other health care organisations to utilise them in the training of nursing staff. The public will also be able to view the films.
The HEFT nurses who appear in the films were also recorded discussing how they routinely observe each of the eight Principles in their attitudes and actions as frontline health care workers.
Linda Watterson, the project manager for the RCN, said: ‘We set out to show how the Principles of Nursing Practice are applied in everyday practice so they can be recognised and made real for all nursing staff. The films do this in an incredibly personal and powerful way.’
Mandie Sunderland, Chief Nurse at HEFT, said: ‘Good nursing care requires nurses to display many skills and attributes that should not be underestimated and some of these are illustrated wonderfully in these films.
‘As a profession there are instances where nursing has failed to deliver quality care to patients and we must learn from these and aspire to universally high standards. This is non-negotiable.
‘Yet we must also recognise great nursing and the positive impact that it has on the lives of patients and their families. We have been delighted to work with the RCN on this project and proud of the professional image displayed by our nurses.’
Paul Vaughan, RCN Director in the West Midlands, said: ‘Nurses, and the quality of care they give, have come in for a lot of criticism in recent times, some of it fair and some of it not.
‘What is evident in these new films is that the thoughts and actions on the part of the nursing staff involved are, by any measure, in the very best interests of patients and their families.
‘But what also shines like a beacon is that these values are as instinctive as they are professional, and I hope that sends out a very reassuring message to the public about the high standards of care, compassion and conduct that the vast majority of nurses regard as the norm.’