NURSING RULE BOOK AND THE NEED FOR ‘COMPASSION’

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is to overhaul its code of conduct, an eight-page handbook setting out good practice. This comes in the wake of a damning report into the Mid Staffordshire hospital scandal which has ordered the profession to show more compassion.

While for many people it would seem a prerequisite for the job, nurses could for the first time be ordered to treat their patients with compassion. The word is not mentioned anywhere in the profession’s current official code of conduct.

Such an obligation could lead to more nurses being struck-off or suspended for failing to care properly for patients or by treating them with dignity.

Last week, concerns over nursing standards were raised in two separate reports.

One, into the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway, said many nurses were ‘callous and brutal’ in their treatment of dying patients. The other, into needless deaths at 11 failing hospital trusts, found nurses did not have time for basic acts of compassion such as holding the hand of a dying patient.

Professor Judith Ellis, a member of the NMC council, said the new code of conduct would be drawn up this autumn. She said that a working party has been looking in depth at the code which needs to be reviewed because ‘it can get out of date.’

Introducing a requirement to show compassion would send a powerful message to the profession, reminding nurses of their basic duties which could see more staff being struck-off or suspended if they fall short. At present, very few nurses are disciplined just for not being compassionate – the most common offence for those disciplined is for physical abuse, followed by failing to keep adequate records.

The chief nursing officer for NHS England, Jane Cummings, has backed the move, saying:

… It is appropriate that compassion is reflected in the code of conduct.

Baroness Emerton, a retired nurse and crossbench peer, said nurses should not be put out at being reminded to show compassion. But she also added:

… You would hope that all nurses have compassion but it can be difficult if patients are aggressive… I do not think any nurse should be offended by being told that in difficult circumstances they have to stay compassionate.

A representative for Patient Concern, an organisation committed to promoting choice and empowerment for all health service users, said that whilst nurses should be reminded that they must be kind and considerate to patients, they shouldn’t be abdicating this responsibility to healthcare assistants.

WHAT NURSES ARE TOLD NOW

• You must treat people as individuals and respect their dignity.
• You must not discriminate in any way against those in your care.
• You must act as an advocate for those in your care, helping them to access relevant health and social care, information and support.
• You must treat people kindly and considerately.
• Other sections of the nursing code tell nurses to maintain patient confidentiality, not to have inappropriate relationships with patients and to work well with other staff.
• Nurses are also told to alert managers if they think staff are putting patients at risk, and to get patients or relatives’ consent before beginning treatment.