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Compassionate nursing

The increasing need by the government to make the NHS more cost effective has placed considerable demands on the nursing profession. Over emphasis on targets, finance and privatisation has served to undermine public confidence in nurses' ability to provide 'compassionate care' according to a commission on the 'Future of Nursing and Midwifery'.

A recent report issued by the Mid Staffordshire Healthcare Commission highlighted a lack of governance at board level rather than a lack of desire to deliver compassionate care by nurses as being core to the issue.

The call by the governmental commission for nurses to renew a pledge to society to provide compassionate care has therefore been met with some hostility by nursing organisations. The feeling is that nurses should be allowed to do the jobs they were trained for, which means ensuring that there are sufficient numbers of them to cope with the increasing demands placed upon them.

The over emphasis on meeting budgetary targets means that nurses are losing confidence in management's ability to provide adequate support. If the NHS is to maintain public confidence it needs to ensure that concerns over providing compassionate nursing care are not undermined by the over commercialisation of its service.

Nursing Personnel understands the financial constraints of both the NHS and private sectors and aims to provide professional, dedicated nurses who deliver their expertise with compassion that the public desire.

Posted: April 26, 2010, 5:43 pm.

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