6 C’ing my way through nursing

The title of this blog entry is probably a little cryptic, so let me explain.

Back in 2012 (before I started my nursing course) in light of some of the most horrendous scandals to hit the NHS, the Chief Nursing Officer of England (Jane Cummings) set a 3 year vision and strategy that would include 6 specific action areas to ultimately deliver  and implement Compassion in Practice (CiP) at all levels of our National Health Service. These areas are:

1. Action area one: Helping people to stay independent, maximise well-being and improving health outcomes
2. Action area two: Working with people to provide a positive experience of care
3. Action area three: Delivering high quality care and measuring the impact
4. Action area four: Building and strengthening leadership
5. Action area five: Ensuring we have the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place
6. Action area six: Supporting positive staff experience

I’m sure everyone will agree that all of the above are vital if the NHS is to meet the expectations of the very people which rely on it, . But…they are a little wordy aren’t they? They don’t really roll off the tip of your tongue. So to help with that, the 6 Cs were created – the 6 Cs encompass the ethos of the Compassion in Practice strategy and cover:

1. Care
2. Compassion
3. Communication
4. Competence
5. Commitment
6. Courage

Again, I’m sure you will agree that they above qualities are essential in Nursing and Care staff. Nonetheless, there are people out who are not quite convinced that the 6Cs and the CiP vision will make any sort of impact. Some people believe that the 6C’s are a gimmick, and that nursing staff should not need to be reminded of the 6Cs to do their jobs….and to a certain extent, they are perhaps correct. Health professionals should not need to be reminded that they are in fact in caring professions. However, there are many examples out there of a lack of compassion, as we are frequently reminded of by the media, so something needs to change. My view is that something is better than nothing and I am an avid fan of making change happen and not simply sitting down and complaining about it.

The 6Cs act as a prompt, as a reflection model and as a really really good reminder of what Nurses are fantastically good at. They should be used to celebrate achievements, to show how there is no other profession quite as unique and rewarding as nursing, and to remind us all of why we do what we do (whether qualified or not). They are not – in my view – a tool to metaphorically beat people up with nor are they a framework on which to blame bad practice or culture.

So, in light of that, I want to dedicate a blog entry to each of those 6 Cs and I want to start this blog with Courage – keep your eyes pealed for it!