be completed, allowing the family to take their relative to their preferred place of rest. This meant her staying 2 hours after the end of her shift.
The member of staff was later praised by the family through the Trust’s Patient and Liaison Advisory Service for the care and compassion shown to the family.
Yellow Flag Values
We ensure that compassion is central to the care we provide and respond with humanity and kindness to each person’s pain, distress, anxiety or need. We search for the things we can do, however small, to give comfort and relieve suffering. We find time for patients, their families and carers, as well as those we work alongside. We do not wait to be asked, because we care.
Source: The NHS Constitution for England, Updated 14 October 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the‐nhs‐constitution‐for‐england/the‐nhs‐constitution‐for‐england#nhs‐values. Public Domain
Take Note
Competence
Nursing requires constant updating of knowledge and skills in order to keep up to date with the latest practices and to understand an individual’s health and social needs. Patients have a wide range of needs and treatment requirements, and they also come from a variety of walks of life. Lots of training and time spent on personal development ensures that professionals in healthcare and social care settings possess the expertise, clinical and technical skill needed to effectively care, based on research and evidence, to a high standard.
Green Flag Standards of proficiency for nursing associates
Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018a)
Being aware and knowledgeable about a subject or care pathway will enable the nursing associate to make appropriate, evidence‐led decisions. Any clinical decisions made by the nursing associate must be defendable and justifiable. Nursing associates must be self‐aware and know the limitations of their skills and abilities and must only engage in care delivery that they are competent to carry out. Self and peer appraisal can help the nursing associate to identify gaps in learning. The use of portfolios and progress reports can be effective in supporting the development of skills and knowledge and the application of care. The NMC has a role in regulating the profession to ensure ongoing learning and development to support competence; it does this by ensuring:
Students and trainees gain skills and knowledge to be safe and effective
Standards of education and training are mapped with NMC standards
Once registered, practitioners remain professionally up to date.
Green Flag Standards of proficiency for nursing associates
Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018a)
Cultural competence is the ability to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviours. Nursing associates must tailor the delivery of healthcare and social care to meet patients’ social, cultural and linguistic needs. Cultural competence is the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures and address health inequalities. Being culturally competent is not just about respecting and appreciating the cultural contexts of patients’ lives, neither is it a one‐size‐fits‐all approach – it is about understanding the way we deliver healthcare and responding to the needs of our diverse population (National Health Service 2019).
Violet Flag Social issues
A female patient who is a member of the Traveller Gypsy community is being assessed in the Emergency Assessment Unit. She has presented with severe abdominal pain. Her husband refuses to allow her to be seen by any male members of the healthcare team.
According to ‘Fairhealth. Health Equity Action and Learning’:
‘There are often strict rules around gender with some Gypsy and Traveller communities, meaning that women will only agree to see female doctors …. When communicating with members of Gypsy and Traveller communities, it may be useful to keep in mind that many will have experienced discrimination or stigmatisation from mainstream services. This may affect how they act or feel when accessing care. Therefore, it is important to ensure staff are welcoming, patient and understanding’.
Source: https://fairhealthlearning.s3.eu‐west‐2.amazonaws.com/Women's+Health/index.html#/lessons/kRQPUOEAYdCYqp3HmFKirg3jwTiuNe_t (accessed August 2020)
Supporting Evidence
The cultural competence programme. NHS Health Education England and The Royal College of Midwives
https://www.e‐lfh.org.uk/programmes/cultural‐competence/ (accessed August 2020)
This link invites you to access the Cultural Competence – e‐Learning for Healthcare programme to help you to enhance your cultural competence within the healthcare and social care setting.
Take Note
