The following piece is a critical analysis of the role of the registered Nurse in managing and coordinating care to ensure safe and effective patient outcomes. There are four areas of competence that all nurses must demonstrate knowledge and competency in to register as a nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2010). These areas are defined as: professional values; communication and interpersonal skills; nursing practice and decision making; and leadership, management and team working. District Nurses are the quintessential autonomous practitioners due to the nature of their role in the community. These standards are for practice are underpinned by the code of conduct laid out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (Nursing and Midwifery
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There are now half as many specialist DN practitioners as there were twelve years ago (The Queen's Nursing Institute 2013) which may mean that safe and effective patient outcomes are compromised (Dickson et al. 2011, Longstaff 2013). Fortunately, this decline is now being redressed with (The Queen's Nursing Institute 2013) reporting an overall increase in the number of registered nurses enrolling in the DN course and the number of courses on offer being increased. Furthermore, the government has recognized that nurses need to have the specialist practitioner’s qualification in order to meet the challenges of both leadership and management that the role entails (Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety 2011, Longstaff …show more content…
They must assess and meet the full range of essential physical and mental health needs of people of all ages who come into their care. Where necessary they must be able to provide safe and effective immediate care to all people prior to accessing or referring to specialist services irrespective of their field of practice. All nurses must also meet more complex and coexisting needs for people in their own nursing field of practice, in any setting including hospital, community and at home. All practice should be informed by the best available evidence and comply with local and national guidelines. Decision-making must be shared with service users, carers, families and informed by critical analysis of a full range of possible interventions, including the use of up-to-date technology. All nurses must also understand how behaviour, culture, socioeconomic and other factors, in the care environment and its location, can affect health, illness, health outcomes and public health priorities and take this into account in planning and delivering
There are now half as many specialist DN practitioners as there were twelve years ago (The Queen's Nursing Institute 2013) which may mean that safe and effective patient outcomes are compromised (Dickson et al. 2011, Longstaff 2013). Fortunately, this decline is now being redressed with (The Queen's Nursing Institute 2013) reporting an overall increase in the number of registered nurses enrolling in the DN course and the number of courses on offer being increased. Furthermore, the government has recognized that nurses need to have the specialist practitioner’s qualification in order to meet the challenges of both leadership and management that the role entails (Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety 2011, Longstaff …show more content…
They must assess and meet the full range of essential physical and mental health needs of people of all ages who come into their care. Where necessary they must be able to provide safe and effective immediate care to all people prior to accessing or referring to specialist services irrespective of their field of practice. All nurses must also meet more complex and coexisting needs for people in their own nursing field of practice, in any setting including hospital, community and at home. All practice should be informed by the best available evidence and comply with local and national guidelines. Decision-making must be shared with service users, carers, families and informed by critical analysis of a full range of possible interventions, including the use of up-to-date technology. All nurses must also understand how behaviour, culture, socioeconomic and other factors, in the care environment and its location, can affect health, illness, health outcomes and public health priorities and take this into account in planning and delivering