RCN puts dignity at the heart of emergency care
Published: 25 June 2008
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is urging hospitals across the UK to put dignity back at the heart of nursing by adopting a new set of emergency care dignity principles which set out minimum standards patients can expect when visiting an accident and emergency department.
The standards will be launched at a special dignity conference for directors of nursing being held in London today (Wednesday 25th June) to mark the launch of the RCN’s national dignity campaign Dignity - at the heart of everything we do. The principles have been developed by the RCN’s Emergency Care Association with the Patients Association and are being sent to emergency wards across the UK.
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN said: “Going to A&E can be a frightening time for many people. We know nurses desperately want to give patients high quality dignified care, but the busy nature of emergency care means there are times when they are hard-pressed to deliver the kind of care they would like.
“These principles set out the basic standards patients can expect from all healthcare staff, from giving them an idea of how long they can expect to wait to be seen by a healthcare professional, to asking them how they would like to be addressed. We are sending these principles to every A&E department across the UK and hope they will sign up and show their commitment to giving patients the dignified care they deserve.
“We know that many nurses sometimes leave work upset because they haven’t been able to deliver the compassionate care they would like. Throughout our campaign we will give nurses the skills and confidence to deliver this and to challenge it where standards fall short of what patients deserve.”
By signing up to these standards trusts will ensure:
• The reception staff will be welcoming, courteous and helpful.
• You will be given a rough estimate of how long you should expect to wait before being seen by a healthcare professional.
• All healthcare professionals dealing directly with you will formally introduce themselves and their role.
• All staff will ask you how you would like to be addressed. Either formally, by using your title and surname, or more informally using your first or other preferred name.
• You will be looked after in a clean and safe environment. All staff will wash or cleanse their hands regularly and before each patient contact.
• You will be asked for your informed consent before any procedure is initiated.
• You will be kept up to date with information about your treatment plan. Any information obtained will be recorded and remain strictly confidential. We may however need to share some information with other health and social care professionals. Please feel free to ask about this in more detail.
• You will be treated with respect and dignity at all times
• Staff will do their best to respect and address any religious or cultural needs if you make them aware.
Rabina Tindale, a senior emergency care nurse and Chair of the RCN’s Emergency Care Association said: “The vast majority of nurses do these things as a matter of course but we hope that by signing up to these principles patients will know just how seriously healthcare staff take their dignity.”
Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association added: “The Patients Association is delighted to be working with the RCN on this important issue. Respect and dignity are essential ingredients for any relationship. The word dignity should be remembered by every healthcare provider and should at all times resonate with every nurse, wherever they work and whoever they are caring for.
“It should go without saying that one of the essential prerequisites for ensuring that patients are treated with dignity and respect is that patients are treated as individuals in their own right. Dignity should be at the heart of healthcare.”
The RCN’s Dignity campaign Dignity - at the heart of everything we do includes the launch of an online training resource for nurses to improve the quality of dignified care they deliver and the publication of a specially commissioned report looking at nurses’ attitudes to patient dignity. The campaign is being supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Smith & Nephew Healthcare Limited. Further details can be found at www.rcn.org.uk.
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.
The RCN’s Dignity campaign will be launched at a special conference on Wednesday 25th June from 10:00-16:00 at RCN HQ, 20 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0RN.
The report Defending Dignity- opportunities and challenges for nursing details findings of a RCN membership survey of 2000 nurses between 11 February and 3 March 2008 using online software available through the RCN website. 2,047 members took part in the survey from across the UK.
The RCN ran a membership survey of 2000 nurses between 11 February and 3 March 2008 to investigate the attitudes and experiences of members of dignity, using online software available through the RCN website. 2,047 members took part in the survey from across the UK. 86 percent of nurses said they would like to make dignity a higher priority as part of their daily routine but nearly two-thirds (65 percent) said they sometimes or never have enough time to make sure patients receive they kind of care they would like. 81 percent of nurses say they sometimes or always leave their workplace feeling distressed or upset because they have not been able to give patients the kind of dignified care that they should.
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.