This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New nursing roles
17/11/2003
Future roles for nurses inScotlandare under the microscope for the next two days at a conference inEdinburgh.
Nurses and other health professionals from acrossScotlandwill be joined by the Chief Nursing Officer ofNew Zealand, Dr Frances Hughes to discuss four key questions:
* exploring role development and role expansion - is there a difference and does it matter?
* what evidence do we have to support further investment in role development?
* generalist and specialist nurse - complementary or conflicting roles?
* what conditions/circumstances are necessary for nursing role development to flourish inScotland?
Opening the conference Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said:
"I have been very struck in my two years as Health Minister by the huge variety of nursing roles I have come across and the number of areas where nurses are forging ahead and developing their work to provide the best care for patients. The main driver should always be the needs of patients and the test should be whether better outcomes for patients are secured as a result.
"This conference is about giving nurses the opportunity to have a real say in the future of nursing. Nursing developments are seen as a solution to a lot of challenges and opportunities in the health service today.
"This is the chance for nurses to decide how to ensure that any changes to their roles are led by the needs of patients and providing more seamless care.
Mr Chisholm encouraged educational organisations to play their part in future role development. He said:
"We need to work in partnership with colleagues within the Higher Education sector to ensure a sound educational and research base for practice.
"Modernisation can only be achieved by placing patients at the centre of the agenda and developing education that is responsive to their needs and which reflects innovations in clinical care. Working in partnership to develop post registration education for nurses and midwives will facilitate new ways of working and help to ensure research based practice.
Pat Dawson, organiser of the conference and RCN Scotland Head of Policysaid:
"Nurses are at the forefront of modernising care and improving the health and wellbeing of the people ofScotland. This dynamic conference will debate the evidence and point the way forward for future nursing roles."
The Minister highlighted some examples of the changing roles of nursesincluding:
The nurse led clinic introduced in the cancer centre inDundeefor patients with colorectal cancer. The clinic provides surveillance and early detection of recurrent disease, improved psychosocial support, and individual assessment of physical and psycho-educational needs.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Family Health Nurse pilot using the concept of a generalist community nurse with a focus on families. The nurses are providing a high quality service to people in some of the remote areas ofScotland.
The Perinatal Mental Health Nurse Consultant in Greater Glasgow who is working with mothers suffering from post natal depression.
Before the conference began the Minister took the opportunity to launch a consultation to include proposals on Staff Governance in the NHS Reform Bill.
The proposals will place a statutory duty on NHS Boards and Special Health Boards to put in place and keep arrangements for the good governance of staff. The proposed duty of NHS Boards will be to Scottish Ministers who will have the authority to direct NHS Boards to put in place appropriate arrangements should these not already exist.
Mr Chisholm said:
"This is ground breaking legislation. It will ensure parity between clinical, corporate and staff governance. It demonstrates our commitment to the partnership process and more importantly our commitment to support staff to deliver the type of healthcare the people ofScotlandneed and the people ofScotlanddeserve.
"We want to provide a responsive high quality patient centred service and the key to the delivery of such a service is the staff. I believe the provision of high quality service and good employment practice go hand in hand.
"I am committed to ensuring that staff are managed fairly and effectively and empowered to deliver change. I see staff governance as the vehicle that will support staff to achieve this. It will entitle staff to be well informed, appropriately trained, involved in decisions that affect them, treated fairly and consistently, and provided with a safe and improved working environment."
The conference is being held on the 17 and 18 November at the Royal College of Physicians,Queen Street,Edinburgh.
The consultation on staff governance will last untilFebruary 4, 2004 .