RCN welcomes King’s Fund programme to transform patient experience
Published: 03 December 2008
Responding to the launch of the King’s Fund Point of Care pilots, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Dr. Peter Carter, said:
“We welcome the launch of the Point of Care pilot programmes as they seek to make patient dignity a high priority for everyone involved in the delivery of healthcare. The RCN has already been lobbying Trusts and government to take the issue of patient dignity more seriously, whilst empowering nurses and healthcare assistants to put dignity at the heart of everything they do.
“However, too often, there are barriers to delivering high quality care that nurses cannot overcome on their own. These can be about the way in which a ward is designed or an issue of a lack of resources. Health workers need to feel empowered to deliver dignified care. This will only happen if every senior manger, every health board member and every Trust Chief Executive creates the kind of culture which makes patient dignity their number one priority.”
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Notes to editors
For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/news/mediacentre.php
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.