GUARANTEED TO MAKE YOU SMILE A dream job led to a wonderful opportunity with the children’s charity Dreamflight for Susan Smyth Every year I join a team of volunteers who take a group of seriously ill children on the holiday of a lifetime to Florida in the United States. My role at the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) opened the door to this wonderful opportunity with the children’s charity Dreamflight. I began my career at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, and left a clinical nurse specialist post in palliative care in 2008 to move to CHAS as deputy director of care. My current role as clinical nurse manager focusing on clinical
Group leader Susan Smyth, centre, with TV presenter Charlie Dimmock, left, enjoy the thrills of a theme-park ride with children during a Dreamflight trip
Rewards of volunteering
NOTICE BOARD
Develops teamwork, leadership, administrative and management skills, all relevant to the workplace. Develops competence in complex technical skills. Opportunities for career advancement. Encourages confidence, resilience and adaptability.
effectiveness and quality improvement is a varied and exciting job, which I love. At CHAS the ward physiotherapist asked if I would volunteer on the annual Dreamflight trip for 192 children from across the UK to the theme parks in Orlando, Florida. My role as a group leader entails raising awareness of Dreamflight, assisting with fundraising and preparing for the next trip. Every year I select a team of eight volunteer escorts – a doctor, three nurses, a physiotherapist and three
Student conference Nursing students at Anglia Ruskin University will hold a conference for students as part of the Stop the Pressure campaign. This campaign aims to reduce deaths from complications caused by pressure ulcers and ensure that pressure-reducing tools are used at England’s healthcare facilities. Speakers will include wound management experts, researchers, patients and students. The conference, at the university campus on June 5, is free of charge but booking is essential. Contact [email protected] Learning service Many students face difficulties during their studies due to specific learning needs. Diverse Learners offers support for students with dyslexia, dyspraxia,
helpers – and co-ordinate the nominations for children to take part. I then allocate escorts to the eight boys and eight girls selected for our region, taking account of each escort’s skills and the needs of each child. The skills and experience I have gained in my day job – nursing children with complex conditions, managing and leading a team at a children’s hospice – have prepared me to lead these group trips. I derive so much pleasure from getting to know the children during the trip and watching them become more
attention deficit disorder, mental health issues, long-term health conditions or a combination of these. The service offers students support to identify the way they learn best, at times that suit the individual. All information and support is delivered by Skype video, text or voice messaging. www.diverse-learners.co.uk Scholarships Applications are invited for the new Stephen Sutton Scholarships at Coventry University. The scholarships are named in honour of the teenage blogger whose campaigning has raised more than £5 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and who died from cancer last year. They will cover tuition fees for the postgraduate certificate in teenage and young adult cancer care, starting in September at Coventry University, for up to ten health or
64 may 20 :: volfrom 29 no 38 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 08, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
CAREERS
confident, make friends and enjoy activities they have previously only imagined. The children selected are often unable to have such a holiday with their families because they require 24-hour help with their health needs. Many of the children have never been away from their parents or the UK before. Each escort is responsible for the care of two children during the daytime, until a team of night nurses takes over. Care of these children can involve complex communication, urinary catheterisation, dialysis, stoma care, ventilation, wound care, seizure management, oral and gastrostomy care, washing, dressing, medicines management, and moving and handling. I feel honoured and privileged to be part of such a great organisation. Dreamflight is a life-changing experience – for the children who take part and the volunteers who accompany them NS Susan Smyth is clinical nurse manager at the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland RESOURCES Dreamflight Children’s Charity www.dreamflight.org RCN – children and young people: professional issues forum tinyurl.com/RCNCYPPIF
Nicola Davies continues her series on how nurses and organisations can prepare for CQC inspections
Quality people = quality care It seems obvious that the quality of care in any organisation begins with the quality of its culture. That culture is the sum of individual behaviours. The question, then, is what individual behaviours in a healthcare organisation indicate a high-quality culture of care? Quality individuals are well informed Healthcare teams and professionals must have access to information and data. Quality people know the performance information available and how to access it. They interpret it and then act in response to this information. Quality individuals respond to information People are said to respond to information about poor performance similarly to Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief: shock IS and incredulity; denial; anger; TO CK bargaining for the data to be corrected; and finally acceptance and change. Care Quality Commission (CQC) national professional adviser Rona McCandlish says organisations have to learn from mistakes, and that quality people are those who learn when things go wrong. Quality individuals deliver safe services The primary measure of quality is safety, because patients and their treatment are what truly matter. What sets quality individuals apart is the purpose for which
social care professionals working with this patient group in the UK. Closing date is July 1. tiny.cc/Sutton_scholarship Community nursing The Queen’s Nursing Institute will hold its annual one-day conference on September 28 at the Royal College of General Practitioners in London. The event is an opportunity to discuss the future of nursing in the community, influence healthcare policy and develop solutions to current challenges. Conference topics will include how nurses can influence commissioning, care of older people and education standards. tinyurl.com/QNIannconf Code conference Healthcare Events will hold a conference titled Appraisal and Revalidation: Implementing the New NMC
they use the data. Often, people prepare for CQC inspections simply to pass the inspection. Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey director of nursing Nicola Ranger cautions: ‘When this happens, the purpose of data for the improvement of services loses integrity, and the performance of quality individuals is frustrated. What matters to them most is patients.’ Quality individuals prioritise patient experience Often good patient experiences generate organisational benefits. For example, when patients feel well cared for, their length of stay is shortened and unscheduled readmissions minimised. Quality individuals respond to patients and prioritise patients’ experience of healthcare. Since individuals and their discrete behaviours and actions make up the culture in an organisation, the origin of quality is the individual. Management and leadership are crucial, but the fundamental quality of a culture begins with the individual’s professionalism and willingness to reflect on, learn from and respond to information about their organisation and its performance NS Nicola Davies is a health psychologist and writer
Code on July 2 at the Manchester Conference Centre. It will be chaired by NHS England head of nursing and midwifery revalidation Maureen Kirwan, with an opening session from NMC chief executive Jackie Smith as well as updates from revalidation pilot sites. The event will review the progress of the revalidation project, and help nurses prepare for the new system. tinyurl.com/HCENAR An inspector calls The NHS Confederation has produced a briefing on what mental health providers can expect during inspection by the Care Quality Commission. It includes information on the types of inspections, tips on how to prepare, the key questions that inspection teams will address and tips from those who have already taken part. tinyurl.com/CQCNHSConfed
NURSING may 20 :: vol uses 29 no 38 :: permission. 2015 65 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 08, 2015. For personal use only. No other without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Group leader Susan Smyth, centre, with TV presenter Charlie Dimmock, left, enjoy the thrills of a theme-park ride with children during a Dreamflight trip
Rewards of volunteering
NOTICE BOARD
Develops teamwork, leadership, administrative and management skills, all relevant to the workplace. Develops competence in complex technical skills. Opportunities for career advancement. Encourages confidence, resilience and adaptability.
effectiveness and quality improvement is a varied and exciting job, which I love. At CHAS the ward physiotherapist asked if I would volunteer on the annual Dreamflight trip for 192 children from across the UK to the theme parks in Orlando, Florida. My role as a group leader entails raising awareness of Dreamflight, assisting with fundraising and preparing for the next trip. Every year I select a team of eight volunteer escorts – a doctor, three nurses, a physiotherapist and three
Student conference Nursing students at Anglia Ruskin University will hold a conference for students as part of the Stop the Pressure campaign. This campaign aims to reduce deaths from complications caused by pressure ulcers and ensure that pressure-reducing tools are used at England’s healthcare facilities. Speakers will include wound management experts, researchers, patients and students. The conference, at the university campus on June 5, is free of charge but booking is essential. Contact [email protected] Learning service Many students face difficulties during their studies due to specific learning needs. Diverse Learners offers support for students with dyslexia, dyspraxia,
helpers – and co-ordinate the nominations for children to take part. I then allocate escorts to the eight boys and eight girls selected for our region, taking account of each escort’s skills and the needs of each child. The skills and experience I have gained in my day job – nursing children with complex conditions, managing and leading a team at a children’s hospice – have prepared me to lead these group trips. I derive so much pleasure from getting to know the children during the trip and watching them become more
attention deficit disorder, mental health issues, long-term health conditions or a combination of these. The service offers students support to identify the way they learn best, at times that suit the individual. All information and support is delivered by Skype video, text or voice messaging. www.diverse-learners.co.uk Scholarships Applications are invited for the new Stephen Sutton Scholarships at Coventry University. The scholarships are named in honour of the teenage blogger whose campaigning has raised more than £5 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and who died from cancer last year. They will cover tuition fees for the postgraduate certificate in teenage and young adult cancer care, starting in September at Coventry University, for up to ten health or
64 may 20 :: volfrom 29 no 38 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 08, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
CAREERS
confident, make friends and enjoy activities they have previously only imagined. The children selected are often unable to have such a holiday with their families because they require 24-hour help with their health needs. Many of the children have never been away from their parents or the UK before. Each escort is responsible for the care of two children during the daytime, until a team of night nurses takes over. Care of these children can involve complex communication, urinary catheterisation, dialysis, stoma care, ventilation, wound care, seizure management, oral and gastrostomy care, washing, dressing, medicines management, and moving and handling. I feel honoured and privileged to be part of such a great organisation. Dreamflight is a life-changing experience – for the children who take part and the volunteers who accompany them NS Susan Smyth is clinical nurse manager at the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland RESOURCES Dreamflight Children’s Charity www.dreamflight.org RCN – children and young people: professional issues forum tinyurl.com/RCNCYPPIF
Nicola Davies continues her series on how nurses and organisations can prepare for CQC inspections
Quality people = quality care It seems obvious that the quality of care in any organisation begins with the quality of its culture. That culture is the sum of individual behaviours. The question, then, is what individual behaviours in a healthcare organisation indicate a high-quality culture of care? Quality individuals are well informed Healthcare teams and professionals must have access to information and data. Quality people know the performance information available and how to access it. They interpret it and then act in response to this information. Quality individuals respond to information People are said to respond to information about poor performance similarly to Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief: shock IS and incredulity; denial; anger; TO CK bargaining for the data to be corrected; and finally acceptance and change. Care Quality Commission (CQC) national professional adviser Rona McCandlish says organisations have to learn from mistakes, and that quality people are those who learn when things go wrong. Quality individuals deliver safe services The primary measure of quality is safety, because patients and their treatment are what truly matter. What sets quality individuals apart is the purpose for which
social care professionals working with this patient group in the UK. Closing date is July 1. tiny.cc/Sutton_scholarship Community nursing The Queen’s Nursing Institute will hold its annual one-day conference on September 28 at the Royal College of General Practitioners in London. The event is an opportunity to discuss the future of nursing in the community, influence healthcare policy and develop solutions to current challenges. Conference topics will include how nurses can influence commissioning, care of older people and education standards. tinyurl.com/QNIannconf Code conference Healthcare Events will hold a conference titled Appraisal and Revalidation: Implementing the New NMC
they use the data. Often, people prepare for CQC inspections simply to pass the inspection. Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey director of nursing Nicola Ranger cautions: ‘When this happens, the purpose of data for the improvement of services loses integrity, and the performance of quality individuals is frustrated. What matters to them most is patients.’ Quality individuals prioritise patient experience Often good patient experiences generate organisational benefits. For example, when patients feel well cared for, their length of stay is shortened and unscheduled readmissions minimised. Quality individuals respond to patients and prioritise patients’ experience of healthcare. Since individuals and their discrete behaviours and actions make up the culture in an organisation, the origin of quality is the individual. Management and leadership are crucial, but the fundamental quality of a culture begins with the individual’s professionalism and willingness to reflect on, learn from and respond to information about their organisation and its performance NS Nicola Davies is a health psychologist and writer
Code on July 2 at the Manchester Conference Centre. It will be chaired by NHS England head of nursing and midwifery revalidation Maureen Kirwan, with an opening session from NMC chief executive Jackie Smith as well as updates from revalidation pilot sites. The event will review the progress of the revalidation project, and help nurses prepare for the new system. tinyurl.com/HCENAR An inspector calls The NHS Confederation has produced a briefing on what mental health providers can expect during inspection by the Care Quality Commission. It includes information on the types of inspections, tips on how to prepare, the key questions that inspection teams will address and tips from those who have already taken part. tinyurl.com/CQCNHSConfed
NURSING may 20 :: vol uses 29 no 38 :: permission. 2015 65 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 08, 2015. For personal use only. No other without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
