Enabling professionalism - Nursing and Midwifery Council

1 Enabling professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery practice Enabling professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery practice | 1. Enabling professionalism in There are also responsibilities Nursing and Midwifery practice for those who employ nurses professionalism means something to everyone who describes and demonstrates what and midwives to ensure their works as a nurse or midwife. Being an inspiring role professionalism looks like in everyday practice environments support and model working in the best interests of people in your practice through the application encourage professional behaviours. of the Code. This will help you as care , regardless of what position you hold and where a nurse or midwife to think about Enabling professionalism also you deliver care , is what really brings practice and your contribution to the service you identifies employer principles for behaviour together in harmony.

2 Provide and demonstrate evidence providing practice environments that for revalidation. support and encourage professional behaviours and appropriate challenge. Enabling professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery practice | 2. apply sound professional judgement, Enabling professionalism for the Introduction supported by environments that enable professional behaviours. Being context of Nursing and Midwifery is presented within the following key the largest workforce provides the elements: opportunity to enhance strong Good health and care outcomes are highly Definition of what professionalism clinical leadership and to deliver dependent on the professional practice and is, and its purpose or support others to deliver high behaviours of nurses and midwives. quality care and services to the Description of attributes that people of the UK.

3 Demonstrate professionalism Nurses and midwives play a critical In March 2015 the Nursing and Description of organisational and Enabling professionalism in Nursing role in strategy, service redesign and Midwifery Council (NMC), the environmental factors to support and Midwifery practice will be of improving health outcomes, actively regulator for nurses and midwives, and enable professional practice interest to the entire spectrum of Enabling co-production and decision published and implemented the and behaviours stakeholders at political, strategic, making at all levels of policy making Code: Professional standards of operational, practitioner and public Description of individual and service provision. There is a practice and behaviour for nurses levels across the health and social responsibilities to support and strong evidence base to demonstrate and The Code provides care system in the UK.

4 Enable professional practice and the effectiveness of nurse and the professional standards to which behaviours midwife led nurses and midwives practice, and This framework aims to promote so it requires consideration by policy professionalism in Nursing and Enabling professionalism will: The Nursing and Midwifery makers in order to maximise the Midwifery through focusing on provide a foundation for and professions want to facilitate contribution of nurses and midwives. the Code and how it is used in strengthen the leadership role change and improve outcomes revalidation but the key messages that nurses and midwives will have for people. They have the clinical There are 688,927 nurses and should be understood and in future changes across all areas innovation to help meet the midwives currently registered with meaningful to all.

5 Where registrants practice challenges facing the NHS and those the NMC, all of whom will use the they serve. Nurses and midwives Code to revalidate over the next assist nurses and midwives to want to celebrate good practice, three years. While revalidation is articulate their effectiveness, support improving practice and ultimately the responsibility of demonstrate accountability and challenge poor practice to uphold the the individual nurse or midwife, meet revalidation requirements standards of the professions for the employers have an important role provide practical examples of good of the public. These changes to play in ensuring that nurses what the public can expect are being realised without diminishing and midwives are prepared for from a nurse or midwife the importance of the fundamentals of care and indeed highlight the the new process and work within supportive environments.

6 The Code wherever and whenever they come into contact with them. importance of compassion and caring as central to the distinct roles of Promoting the Code in practice every nurse and midwife. is essential, to enable nurses and midwives to lead and support good quality care , implement change and Enabling professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery practice | 3. Maintaining professionalism What is professionalism ? Registered nurses and midwives practising at graduate level are prepared with the behaviours, knowledge and professionalism is characterised by the autonomous skills required to provide safe, effective, person-centred evidence-based decision making by members of an care and services. They are professionally socialised occupation who share the same values and education. to practise in a compassionate, inter-professional and collaborative manner.

7 This is recognised through professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery is realised continuing a registered nurse or midwife status with the through purposeful relationships and underpinned by NMC. Practice and behaviour are underpinned by the Code5. environments that facilitate professional practice. and demonstrated through a number of attributes or pre- Professional nurses and midwives demonstrate and requisites of Nursing and Midwifery practice, namely: embrace accountability for their actions. The achievement of this aim can be Being Accountable Being a leader The purpose of demonstrated through: [Practise [Promote professionalism in Nursing Consistent outcomes of care effectively] professionalism and trust]. and Midwifery and services Problem solving Effective care that enables people Able to challenge Autonomous The ultimate purpose of to have the best health status and A coordinator professionalism in Nursing and Reflective quality of life they can achieve Midwifery is to ensure the consistent Evidence based Honest provision of safe, effective, person- care settings that enable nurses Innovative centred outcomes that support and midwives to flourish System thinking people and their families and carers, People describing good to achieve an optimal status of health experiences of care and services Being an advocate and well-being.

8 [Prioritise people]. Being competent Individualised care and services [Preserve safety]. evidenced through support for Emotionally competent personal choices and increased Resilient Technically competent involvement in decision making Impartial about planned care or services Critically thinking Compassionate Inquiring Better use of resources Improved health outcomes for populations Enabling professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery practice | 4. Enabling professionalism Whether in community, hospital, social care , education or Enables positive inter-professional one of many other settings, the environments6 in which collaboration through: nurses and midwives work are pivotal in supporting Partnership approaches to team working professional practice and behaviours. Clear lines of accountability This includes fostering a positive environment to raise concerns when issues Inter-professional learning/team working opportunities arise that could compromise safety, quality and experience.

9 An environment that supports and enables professional practice and behaviours is one that: Enables practice learning and Recognises and encourages Nursing development through: and Midwifery leadership through: Pre-registration programmes Valuing the evidence-based opinion of nurses that develop professionalism and midwives and resilience Nurses and midwives occupying roles of Regular supervision and a focus leadership and influence across systems on reflective practice Shared governance and decision making Provision of professional Organisational risk assessment that accepts development opportunities and professional judgement as a basis for action meaningful appraisal Encourages autonomous Provides appropriate innovative Nursing and Midwifery resources through practice through: access to appropriate: Policies that support critical thinking in Staffing - including experience practice and decision making and skill mix Flexibility to develop appropriate new roles Funding for learning and development Enabling practitioners to operate within the upper limits of scope of practice Equipment including information technology devices and software Providing access to expertise to support coaching models and practice learning Shared information and data Enabling professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery practice | 5.

10 Upholding individual Enabling person-centred professionalism and evidence-informed practice by: Incorporating up-to-date evidence In addition to the environmental considerations that can in daily practice have an impact on the ability of a nurse or midwife to act Sharing and disseminating professionally, the individual practitioner is responsible for evidence-informed practice upholding his or her own professional practice through: Supporting appropriate Participation in the generation service and care of new evidence and working Learning and developing Being a role model for environments by: innovatively continuously by: others by: Raising concerns when issues arise Lobbying for change and that could compromise safety, improvement Making the most of opportunities Demonstrating and articulating quality and experience through revalidation via existing clearly what professionalism looks supervision and appraisal systems like in practice Supporting others to raise concerns appropriately Leading professionally by.