Care workers asked to prioritise compassion as part of new NHS vision

UK charity Action on Hearing Loss has welcomed the announcement of the NHS Commissioning Board’s ‘Compassion in Practice’ strategy, launched yesterday at the Chief Nursing Officer’s conference in Manchester.

The strategy sets out a new vision for nursing, midwifery and care staff based upon working in partnership with service users in order to achieve positive health and well-being outcomes through a keen understanding of individual needs.

Head of research and policy at Action on Hearing Loss, Dr Pritti Mehta, is pleased to see decision-making as central to the new strategy’s objectives: “We welcome the launch of the ‘Compassion in Practice’ strategy as we agree that good communication, which meets the individual needs of the 10 million people with hearing loss across the UK, is vital in providing compassionate care. Nurses can play an important role as “hearing loss champions” and help people who are deaf or hard of hearing to make genuinely informed decisions about their care and support.

“Early intervention by nurses through integrating hearing checks into routine health assessments can also be life-changing and enable people to more effectively manage health conditions, as well as reducing unnecessary additional NHS and social care costs if the hearing loss is left untreated.”

‘Compassion in Practice’ challenges carers to consider the 6Cs, which are listed as: care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.

Chief Nursing Officer for England, Jane Cummings, comments:

“As Chief Nursing Officer for England, I want to make sure we give our patients the very best care with compassion and clinical skill, ensure pride in our professions and build respect. The response from staff since my appointment has confirmed that nurses, midwives and care staff feel the same. The actions set out in this vision and strategy, which have been developed with you, will change the way we work, transform the care of our patients and ensure we deliver a culture of compassionate care.”

Sentiments that were echoed by the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who said: “Ensuring that patients get the best possible care is a priority for this Government. Nurses play an important role in this which is why this announcement by nurse leaders is so important.

“We want to do all we can to support those who care for patients – and this new vision will help us do that. Nurses, midwives and care staff have one of the most demanding and sensitive roles in the NHS and social care, and they command our respect and support.”