New Posts Ensure Nurses Lead the Way in Improving Care

11 October 2004

Nurses are leading the way in improving the care and welfare of patients at West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust.

Five new posts have been created at the Trust to develop nurse-led services.

The Lead Nurse posts focus on the quality of clinical care and the patient experience. They work closely with Ward Sisters to ensure that basic care is delivered to the highest standards possible and that patient environment issues are addressed.

The new Lead Nurses are: Julie Boyd and Lucy Newman, Lead Nurses for Surgery; Lesley Standring, Lead Nurse for Older People; Sandy Hornberger and Julie Fountain, Lead Nurses for Medicine.

Patients often feel reluctant to ask nurses for help with problems because they are so busy. So the new Lead Nurses have a distinctive uniform so that they can be highly visible and easily identifiable.

Lead Nurses act as an interface between the Nursing Directorate and the clinical areas, ensuring that the strategic direction adopted by the nursing profession translates into reality on the ground. They also work closely with the Facilities Directorate on things that have an impact on the patient experience, such as protected meal times, nutrition and cleanliness.

Nichole Day, Director of Nursing and Governance, said: "Lead Nurses have the authority, influence and empowerment to ensure that the highest possible standards are achieved.

"They spend their time on the wards, listening to patients, making sure that the fundamental aspects of care are delivered to a high standard."

Julie Boyd, Lead Nurse for Surgery, said: "I believe that the appointment of Lead Nurses demonstrates the Trust¹s commitment to provide high quality care to all patients. By providing someone who is highly visible and accessible to staff and patients alike enables concerns about care to be voiced as soon as they arise.

"One of the key aspects of my role is to work closely with the Ward Managers, leading by example and supporting them to achieve excellence in patient care.

"Early feedback from patients and relatives about the role is extremely encouraging. They are really pleased to see that Senior Nurses with the authority and influence to make things happen, are leading on the issues that matter most to them, e.g. nutrition, communication, personal hygiene and ward cleanliness.