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NHS England report calls on nurses, midwifes and care staff to lead change in the NHS

NHS England report calls on nurses, midwifes and care staff to lead change in the NHS
18 May 2016



The chief nursing officer for England has launched a new framework outlining how nursing, midwifery and care staff can take charge to deliver better outcomes for patients.

In answer to the Five Year Forward View published in 2014, the new report, Leading Change, Adding Value, shows how nursing, midwifery and care staff can help close three gaps that were identified in the NHS at the time.

According to the report, the health and well being gap, the care and quality gap, and the funding and efficiency gap can be closed by focusing on needless variation in healthcare outcomes, patient experience and the unjustifiable use of resources.

The report encourages nursing, midwifery and care staff to identify where and why this variation occurs in any environment and at any level.

In particular, the report notes a variation in the commissioning of care packages for individuals eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC), which needs to be addressed.

To receive continuing healthcare funding, individuals have to be assessed by CCGs according to the national framework for NHS CHC, a legally prescribed decision making process.

However, the report proposes that there may be varying approaches to commissioning and the application of this framework.

To assist in addressing as many of these variations as possible, the framework outlines 10 central commitments and practical approaches to meeting them.

Professor Jane Cummings, the chief nursing officer for England, said:“The role that nursing, midwifery and care staff play should not be underestimated – we are on hospital wards caring for people, out in the community, care homes, academia, sitting on boards, developing policy, and in the private sector.

“The framework – which can be used across all the sectors, whatever the setting – will support staff to demonstrate how they can use their expertise to drive change.

“The leadership potential in our workforce to manage the challenges of today and shape the future is boundless. From addressing differences in the incidence of pressure ulcers, to changing pathways of care and support in diagnosing diabetes – nursing, midwifery and care staff are ideally placed to be leading that change and demonstrating their value.”

With the use of case studies, the report highlights nursing, midwifery and care staff who are already incorporating this framework successfully in both large and small organisations.

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