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Record care clearly, accurately and with pride, RCN urges nurses @NS_reporter
A leading nurse has urged nurses not to view record keeping as ‘a chore’ but rather an integral part of providing compassionate care. Speaking at the inaugural London Nurse Show, RCN professional learning and development facilitator Christine McKenzie said the introduction of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) new code of conduct last week makes it even more important that nurses improve their record keeping. She told Nursing Standard: ‘The reality is nurses do leave themselves open to sanctions if they do not follow the policies and procedures that are in place. The new code gives more clarity on what is expected and I think registrants should see it as a real opportunity rather than something to be frightened of.’ The new Code requires registrants to keep clear, accurate, dated, timed, signed and contemporaneous records, to complete records without falsification and without abbreviations, jargon or speculation and to take all steps to ensure records are kept securely. It also makes clear that registrants are expected to identify any problems that have arisen and the steps taken to deal
‘IT IS ABOUT RECORDING THE COMPASSIONATE CARE THAT NURSES DELIVER’ – Christine McKenzie
BARNEY NEWMAN
By Katie Osborne
with them, so colleagues who use them have all the information they need. Ms McKenzie urged nurses to embrace the opportunity to record high-quality, compassionate care rather than view it as a chore to avoid disciplinary action. ‘A lot of people regard record-keeping as a negative thing and as a defensive mechanism,’ she said. ‘But it is not just about conforming to NMC guidelines, it is about recording the compassionate care that nurses deliver.’ Good record-keeping has been shown to improve care outcomes and
promote better communication, as well as continuity and efficiency, she added. She warned that one in three registrants will at some point in their career be involved in legal proceedings relating directly to record-keeping. The most common reasons for disciplinary action include the absence of clarity, a failure to record action taken and why decisions were made, missing information and spelling mistakes, she added. She said nurses owed it to patients and their families to view record keeping as a narrative of care.
A campaign begun by a terminally ill doctor to encourage healthcare professionals to show more compassion to patients is to go on tour. The #Hellomynameis… campaign was started three years ago by Kate Granger, pictured, shortly after she was diagnosed
BARNEY NEWMAN
DOCTOR’S COMPASSION CAMPAIGN GATHERS MOMENTUM with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. At the time, the Leeds specialist registrar in geriatric medicine was left frustrated by the lack of compassion shown to her by healthcare staff who failed to introduce themselves. The campaign now has the support of more than 400,000 staff in 90 NHS organisations
and the backing of health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Speaking at the London Nurse Show last week, Dr Granger said she will take the campaign on a week-long tour to 15 NHS hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales to spread her message. ‘I have an ambition that before I die I will be able to walk into any organisation in the UK and see that they have embraced my campaign,’ she said.
8 april 8 :: vol 29 no RCNi.com 32 :: 2015by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 28, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING STANDARD Downloaded from other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Record care clearly, accurately and with pride, RCN urges nurses @NS_reporter
A leading nurse has urged nurses not to view record keeping as ‘a chore’ but rather an integral part of providing compassionate care. Speaking at the inaugural London Nurse Show, RCN professional learning and development facilitator Christine McKenzie said the introduction of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) new code of conduct last week makes it even more important that nurses improve their record keeping. She told Nursing Standard: ‘The reality is nurses do leave themselves open to sanctions if they do not follow the policies and procedures that are in place. The new code gives more clarity on what is expected and I think registrants should see it as a real opportunity rather than something to be frightened of.’ The new Code requires registrants to keep clear, accurate, dated, timed, signed and contemporaneous records, to complete records without falsification and without abbreviations, jargon or speculation and to take all steps to ensure records are kept securely. It also makes clear that registrants are expected to identify any problems that have arisen and the steps taken to deal
‘IT IS ABOUT RECORDING THE COMPASSIONATE CARE THAT NURSES DELIVER’ – Christine McKenzie
BARNEY NEWMAN
By Katie Osborne
with them, so colleagues who use them have all the information they need. Ms McKenzie urged nurses to embrace the opportunity to record high-quality, compassionate care rather than view it as a chore to avoid disciplinary action. ‘A lot of people regard record-keeping as a negative thing and as a defensive mechanism,’ she said. ‘But it is not just about conforming to NMC guidelines, it is about recording the compassionate care that nurses deliver.’ Good record-keeping has been shown to improve care outcomes and
promote better communication, as well as continuity and efficiency, she added. She warned that one in three registrants will at some point in their career be involved in legal proceedings relating directly to record-keeping. The most common reasons for disciplinary action include the absence of clarity, a failure to record action taken and why decisions were made, missing information and spelling mistakes, she added. She said nurses owed it to patients and their families to view record keeping as a narrative of care.
A campaign begun by a terminally ill doctor to encourage healthcare professionals to show more compassion to patients is to go on tour. The #Hellomynameis… campaign was started three years ago by Kate Granger, pictured, shortly after she was diagnosed
BARNEY NEWMAN
DOCTOR’S COMPASSION CAMPAIGN GATHERS MOMENTUM with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. At the time, the Leeds specialist registrar in geriatric medicine was left frustrated by the lack of compassion shown to her by healthcare staff who failed to introduce themselves. The campaign now has the support of more than 400,000 staff in 90 NHS organisations
and the backing of health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Speaking at the London Nurse Show last week, Dr Granger said she will take the campaign on a week-long tour to 15 NHS hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales to spread her message. ‘I have an ambition that before I die I will be able to walk into any organisation in the UK and see that they have embraced my campaign,’ she said.
8 april 8 :: vol 29 no RCNi.com 32 :: 2015by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 28, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING STANDARD Downloaded from other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
