Heartbeat: New course for critical care colleagues helps to improve patient care

December 17, 2018

Our critical care service has developed a new leadership programme whereby those aspiring to grow within our organisation can enhance their skills to improve patient care.

A cohort of 12 band 6 nurses began the six month course in May and it has been developed by the senior team within critical care, this included Matron, Becky O’Dwyer, senior sisters and the professional development team.

Maria, a sister, is one of the first to join the course. She said: “Within critical care, leadership plays a massive part in developing the right care for patients and their families.

“This course allows us to do several things. It gives us the theory around leadership and it also gives us the knowledge to apply into practice.

“It also emphasises how to be a reflective practitioner, by being able to evaluate what you have done.

“You are continuously improving your skills and the outcome enhances your knowledge, theory and experience to make you a better leader within the service.

“We are supported by band 7 managers, who are also able to identify your learning needs.”

Rhea Conn, a sister who is also on the course, added: “It gives us on-the-job training which covers a wide range of topics. This includes looking at capacity, which will ensure a safe nurse-to-patient ratio, as well as analysing budgets and handling complaints. Since being on this course I have gained a great deal of confidence in dealing with many issues.”

Lucy Peacock, Senior Sister, added: “The critical care unit has historically had a strong link with leadership and development and we have been running an in-house ‘taught’ programme.

“However, the team decided to pull together and look at the main elements of the current course and adopt its principles of management, policy and unit standards into a wider programme which would be more practical-based rather than just ‘taught’. It is about training our next generation of leaders.”