Key elements of NMC code
Introduction
The purpose of the NMC code is public protection; it contains guidelines on how nurses and midwives should conduct themselves while carrying out their mandate. These guidelines are structured based on the patient’s opinion on how a health care worker should conduct himself or herself, and all nurses and midwives are required to act within these guidelines regardless of where they are offering their services be it in the hospitals, within the community or even in educational forums (NMC 2015). Those who fail to uphold the standards as per the code are likely to face serious reparations which include permanent deregistration. However, upholding the standards set by this code is only limited to the level of competence of each professional and they are responsible for their work.
The NMC has 4 key elements: prioritizing people, practice effectively, preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust. The NMC code expects their nurses and midwives to always priorities their client’s interests first, and ensuring their safety and wellbeing are effectively cared for, and they do this with the utmost respect for the patient, making sure they are treated with dignity (NMC 2015). Therefore, following the element of prioritizing people, the nurses and midwives are required to be kind and show compassion while caring for their clients, ensure that they provide effective care to the clients, can identify diversity and personal choices and avoidance of assumptions, ensure that the clients are attended to in time and also exercising their human rights wholly(Norman 2015). It also requires the nurses and midwives to listen, understand and respond appropriately to the wishes of their clients, which is achieved by working together with the clients and respecting and considering their opinions and creating awareness and offering encouragement to clients to enable them make good health decisions. They must also ensure that they assess all the client’s needs (i.e. physical, psychological and social needs) and effectively manage them, the code also requires that any action they take must always be in the best interest of the patients and at all times respect patient’s confidentiality.
The second key element is delivering services effectively which directs that the nursing and midwife professionals identify what the client needs and advice on the course of treatment or help they would need and ensuring that this service is provided without delay and to the best of their abilities. Effective practice is achieved when the nursing and midwife professionals keep in touch with the changes in the field and deliver their services about the best evidence available. This means that the instructions they give to the clients must be evidence-based and also their method of practice is in line with the documented safety protocols (Norman 2015). It is expected that the nurses use a language that can be understood clearly by patients and make maximum effort to understand the patient’s language and when necessary make use of non-verbal communication skills for maximum understanding between them and the patients (NMC 2015).
Nurses and midwives are also expected to work in cooperation with their colleagues, doing so by respecting and acknowledging the skills their colleagues poses and referring patients to them when necessary.it is also expected that they share any necessary information and knowledge that can be useful in the care of the patients with their colleagues(Norman 2015). They should always keep detailed documentation on every form of care that has been provided to the patient, this will act as guidance in future on what failed and what worked better for the patient and also show the patient’s progress throughout the process, and ensure that these documents are stored in a secure place and only relevant personnel can access them.
The code also directs that all nurses and midwives will be accountable when they decide to delegate duties to other people, therefore, they should ensure whoever they delegate to is competent enough to undertake the task, besides that, the nurses and midwives are expected to provide support and guidance to those they delegate duties to ensure that the patients get a good standard of care and afterward review that the standard of care provided lives up to the patient’s satisfaction (NMC 2015). Nurses and midwives are also directed to have a valid insurance cover that protects any practice they take as nurses and midwives.
Another key component of the NMC is to preserve safety. The nurse must preserve and uphold the safety of the patient at all times. In addition to this, the nurse’s role is to ensure that the public and the patients who come to the hospital are not harmed in any way(Pickles, Lacey, and King,2019). The nurse or the midwife is expected to work within the confines of his/her expertise and is required to exercise the ‘duty of candor’. In doing this, the nurse must raise any alarms or concerns whenever the patient is predisposed to risk and he/she is required to take the most appropriate action.
To begin with, the nurse should work within the limits of his/her competence. This requires the nurse to recognize his/her abilities to exercise the following functions. The nurse should assess, identify, and accurately observe the signs or symptoms of any possibility of worsening of the patient’s health (NMC 2015). This should include both physical and mental health. The nurse is then required to make a referral to the most appropriate practitioner when the care of that nature is required. If there is any situation requiring an expertise that is beyond the nurses’ competence, the nurse is required to call for help. In doing this, the nurse is expected to be keen on his/her personal safety and also the safety of the people involved in providing care to the patient. Finally, the nurse should undergo complete training before undertaking a new role.
The nurse should be candid and open with the patient and the relatives and all other health service users. The nurse should provide adequate information regarding the patient’s illnesses and this should include information regarding the mistakes and harms that might have occurred when providing treatment to the patient. To achieve this, the nurse should be able to act immediately and put the situation right in case the patient is faced with potential harm or already harmed. The nurse should also be able to explain promptly what occurred and sincerely apologize to the involved parties (NMC 2015). The nurse should then document the events and take action if required. The nurse is expected to communicate the likely adverse events that may result after the harm has occurred to the patient.
The nurse is expected to offer help to the patient in case an emergency occurs to the patient during practice. To achieve this, the nurse should only act within the limits of his/her expertise (Pickles, Lacey, and King,2019). The nurse should arrange for emergency care. In doing this, the nurse should take care of his/her safety and the safety of the other care providers. The other important obligation that the nurse is required to undertake is to act without delay if there is any suspected potential risk that could harm the patient (Pickles, Lacey, and King,2019). While doing this, the nurse should escalate or raise any concerns through the appropriate channels so that appropriate action is taken.
If a challenge arises that requires the nurse to practice beyond his/her role or expertise, the concerns should be raised immediately. These concerns should be channeled to the appropriate authority if the nurse experiences any problems. In return, the nurse should acknowledge, investigate, and deal with the concerns that are raised appropriately. The nurse should not obstruct or hinder a colleague who may want to raise a concern. The nurse is charged with the responsibility to protect everyone under his/her care from any harm, victimization, or bad treatment from any person in the area of practice.
Finally, another key component of the NMC code is to promote professionalism and trust. The nurse is required to uphold the reputation of his/her profession at all times. This is to be achieved by doing the following. The nurse should stick to the values set out in the NMC code of conduct. The nurse should be honest in her actions and communication with patients and colleagues (Norman 2015). The nurse should be aware that his/her behavior can affect the behavior of other people. The nurse should be guided by the laws and the regulations set out by the country’s constitution and laws. The nurse should be objective and should have professional boundaries with all the people involved in the provision of care (NMC 2015). The nurse should be cautious not to express personal beliefs, which may include political, moral, or religious beliefs. The nurse should uphold his/her position and should not accept any gifts to provide certain favors in their practice. The nurse should not ask or accept loans from service users.
In conclusion, the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s code of conduct provides clear guidance on the practice of nursing that helps the nurse become a companionate and a caring provider. The nurse is required to become open in his/her communication with all the parties involved. This will promote transparency and will enable the served user, to develop trust and confidence in the nurse. The nurse, on the other hand, will become more compassionate when providing care to the patient. The nurse is not expected to act in favor of any patient with regards to race or origin. This will greatly help achieve and promote diversity in healthcare delivery.
References
Goldsmith, J., 2011. The NMC code: conduct, performance, and ethics. Nursing times, 107(37), pp.12-14.
Norman, K., 2015. How mentors can influence the values, behaviors, and attitudes of nursing staff through positive professional socialization. Nursing Management, 22(8).
Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2015. The Code: Professional standards of practice and behavior for nurses, midwives, and nursing associates.
Pickles, D., Lacey, S.D., and King, L., 2019. The conflict between a nursing student’s personal beliefs and professional nursing values. Nursing Ethics, 26(4), pp.1087-1100.
Sutcliffe, H., 2011. Understanding the NMC code of conduct: a student perspective. Nursing Standard (through 2013), 25(52), p.35.