RCN welcomes investment in supervisory roles

Published: 28 March 2013

The Royal College of Nursing in the West Midlands has welcomed the news that Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) will be investing £1.4m to facilitate the introduction of supervisory ward sisters/charge nurses across the wards of its three main Hospital sites, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals.

Paul Vaughan, RCN West Midlands Regional Director, said: “The Royal College of Nursing has been emphasising the importance of supervisory ward sisters and charge nurses since 2009, when our report ‘Breaking down barriers, driving up standards: The role of the ward sister and charge nurse’ recommended that all ward sisters and team leaders become supervisory.

“As HEFT itself has recognised, in order to fulfil the supervisory role properly, the ward sister/charge nurse must work in addition to the ward nursing establishment, and the Government’s response to the Francis report into the failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust made this very point.

“It emphasised that ward sisters, charge nurses and team leaders in supervisory roles need to have the time to lead their team, to support staff in their clinical role, and to ensure patients are having a good experience of care, so the news that HEFT will be recruiting an additional 49 wte registered nurses to backfill the current clinical duties of the ward sisters and charge nurses is a very positive step forward for both nurses and patients.”