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Let nurses be led by nurses, not accountants
This promises to be a tough week for the nursing profession, as anyone with a gripe about the way they or their loved one has been treated will be given a platform to vent their anger. The Francis report into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust will provide further ammunition to those who believe nursing has lost its way.
Expect complaints about the way students are taught nowadays, claims that nurses are too immersed in their paperwork to care, and suggestions that bringing back matron would prove a panacea.
The nurse leadership model of the post-war era has understandably been cast aside, but there is no doubt that matron's replacements lack the authority of their predecessors. Nurse directors must take responsibility for quality of care. That means they have to be held to account when standards slip, but it also means they must be given sufficient clout in the boardroom. The role is not taken seriously by too many organisations.
For proof that this is so, take a look at two pieces of evidence. First, nurse directors are among the lowest-paid board members. The (man) in charge of the finances is almost without exception paid more than the (woman) in charge of nursing. What does that say about NHS trusts' priorities?
Second, few nurse directors are responsible only for nursing. Many are expected to take on broader roles covering clinical governance or the patient experience. It is as if being a director of nursing were not a full-time job.
There are always two themes that emerge from care scandals: a lack of resources and inadequate leadership. Ministers and managers must be held to account when they fail to provide enough resources, or fail to allocate them appropriately. And on leadership, a key lesson from Mid Staffs will be that nurses must seize back control: nurses must be led by nurses, not by general managers more concerned about balance sheets and targets.
Editorial | Nursing Standard | February 5th 2013 | Volume 27 no 23
Further reading
News: Mid Staffs whistleblower calls for inspections to be more robust
Reflections: Senior managers must stop playing the blame game
Background: The Francis Report
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Nursing Standard is published every Wednesday by RCN Publishing Company Ltd, the publishing company of the Royal College of Nursing.
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The RCN Publishing Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal College of Nursing, the world's largest organisation for nurses. RCN Publishing produces one weekly, eight monthly and two quarterly nursing publications. Nursing Standard, the flagship journal, is the UK's biggest selling weekly for nursing. It is produced by RCN Publishing Company along with a suite of specialist nursing journals - Cancer Nursing Practice, Mental Health Practice, Learning Disability Practice, Nursing Children and Young People, Nursing Management, Emergency Nurse, Nursing Older People, Nurse Researcher and Primary Health Care. RCN Publishing Company also produce the RCN Bulletin, a major source of up-to-the-minute information for RCN members in all specialities, grades and working environments. With the latest nurse vacancies from trusts nationwide, it has become the most cost-effective nurse recruitment magazine available.