Meeting patient expectations

An article in The Guardian newspaper last month attracted my attention. The piece was a diary account from a registered nurse working in diabetic services, describing the challenges experienced in meeting patients’ needs and expectations. The account – aptly titled “So many people need help, but we can’t give them the care they deserve” – will have resonance for many registered nurses and healthcare support workers.

Health care is fundamentally a human service, with nurses central to all decision making and care delivery. Safe and effective health care cannot be delivered without their knowledge, skills and expertise. They provide care across the lifespan in all care settings to patients and their families at times of greatest need and distress. Providing safe, person-centred care is at the heart of nursing practice yet, increasingly, many nurses describe being unable to provide the level of care and support required. Many of the concerns highlighted – including working hours, staff shortages, personal health and well-being and standards of care – are not new. The recurring concern about pay decline over the past decade and the inability to deliver optimal safe and effective care and support are core issues driving many Royal College of Nursing members to take strike action. 

Patients recognise and appreciate the care they receive from nurses and no more so than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the commitment and compassion of nurses was never more evident. Nurses, along with many others, worked tirelessly in health services and the independent sector, leading the delivery of services across the country, including the vaccination programs which have been central to enabling life to return to some sort of normality.

Yet despite their indisputable contributions and dedication to patient care and family support, many nurses are leaving the profession. Consequently, there is a record number of vacancies across services and many nurses are also opting to retire early. There is unprecedented use of agency and bank nurses to prop up services. The situation is further compounded by growing waiting lists leading to greater pressures on health services and the nursing workforce, which ultimately have a detrimental impact on patients. There is a clear need for effective and innovative service modelling and workforce planning and development. 

A vital role for the nursing profession is the provision of good learning experiences for nursing students – the lifeblood of the future workforce. Ensuring positive learning experiences and good support throughout their learning journey is crucial to ensuring that they choose to remain in the nursing profession following registration. 

Populations are ageing, with more people living into older age, many with long-term physical and mental health conditions and health services are reliant on nurses and other professionals to deliver patient care and meet patient expectations. Nurses are key advocates for patients, families and communities. Without their knowledge, skills and expertise the many challenges that confront health services now and in future will not be met. Providing nurses with the resources necessary to deliver safe and effective care that meets patient expectations is vital. Failure to do so will lead to a widening of health inequalities and poor health. 

The Guardian piece highlights, through the lens of one registered nurse, the realities and challenges experienced on a day-to-day basis and the impact on patients. Those realities will be recognised and appreciated by many nurses and across care services of all kinds. It is essential to fully support and enable nurses to maximise their contributions to meet patient needs and expectations now and in future.