The following essay focuses on the principle purpose of care and discusses the importance of the 6C’s within the healthcare profession. The 6C’s of nursing were established so that care is delivered to the patients in a constructive and structured manner Secure Healthcare Solutions, (2016). Nurses who function on these core values ensure that the patients are safe, protected and aided well, when providing them with the required care Secure Healthcare Solutions, (2016). Care/caring is a term that is extremely bonded with nursing. This is because nurses provide the patients with the nursing care to help them improve and sustain their health, as well as caring and supporting for the families during the period of illness or disability Sapountzi-Krepia, (2001). Person centered care and compassionate care is also discussed in this essay to highlight how nurses focus on putting patients’ desires, needs and goals at heart of everything they do so that it is central to the care and nursing process (Professor Jan Draper and Dr Josie Tetley, 2016).
The values and behaviors of the 6C’s are Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and commitment Jayne Hardicre (2014). These core values of nursing were entrenched by the NHS England chief nursing officer Jane Cumming. She advocated the 6C’s to encourage the healthcare staff to focus on putting patients at the heart of everything they do Jane Cummings (2012). It is suggested by Jayne Hardicare (2014) that enclosing the actions of the 6C’s into healthcare profession would further enhance the quality of care. The 6C’s of nursing gave the nurses a way to assess their job to confirm that the best care is delivered to patients Nursing Standard (2013).
It is important for nurses to be non-judgmental and respectful when treating the patients as it enables them to trust their nurse, when they are being provided with the required care Nursing Standards, (2013). Nurses should always be aware of keeping patients’ dignity protected and making sure that their beliefs are in consideration Nursing standards, (2013). Nurses must always be compassionate even when the patient is very difficult, as showing compassion is central to how patients view the care that is given by the nurse Secure HealthCare Solutions, (2016). Additionally, communication is a very important part of the nursing profession as it enables nurses to build a relationship with their patients. This then also helps the nurses in finding out the information about the patient, resulting in faster diagnoses and appropriate treatments HealthCare Solutions, (2016). Moreover, nurses have the duty of care to their patients. Therefore, it is important for nurses to have the courage to do what they believe is right and be determined enough to face the fear of difficulties British Journal of Nursing, (2014). Also, nurses should be committed to their job in order to make sure that their patients' needs are being met (Royal College of Nursing Institute, 2015).
According to nurses, compassionate care is not simply about easing pain and discomfort but is also about undergoing what patients experience and enabling them to retain their dignity and independence British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACN), (2014). It is stated by Merriam Webster, (1843) that compassionate care is a sympathetic awareness of a patients distress mixed with a determination to reduce it. Both definitions, given by the nurses and Merriam Webster, link together as they both believe that it is important to feel what patients' experience in order to make them feel as comfortable as possible during the hard time (Royal College of Nursing Institute, 2015).
When nurses are providing patients with the care that they require; it is important that they are being compassionate. This is because compassionate care enables the patients to be more comfortable during the period of illness, pain or when their emotional or mental health is causing them stress Moira K. McGhee, Contributor, (2019). Compassionate care also helps the patients with building up the confidence that they necessitate to assemble them for extensive recovery and to face a surgical procedure (Moira K. McGhee, Contributor, 2019).
Care can be defined as the feeling which displays concerns for an individual who may require physical, psychological, emotional or cultural needs National Institute for Health Research (2014). Caring is a significant part of nursing as it involves making a difference in patients’ emotional needs as well as physical ailments Faraz Mughal (2014). According to Linda Watterson (2017), caring is the core business of the nursing organization as it helps the patients, by providing them with the care that is expected, and improves the health of the whole community. According to Nursing Standards, (2013) when empathy is shown by a nurse, it strengthens the combined relationship between the patients and the nurse. This then benefits the nurse in finding out the symptoms and causes of the illness and proving patients with the appropriate treatment and proper diagnose (Nursing Standards, 2013).
It is stated by Dr Jean Watson, (1997) that nurses must be in attendance, reassuring and understanding of a patient’s feeling without showing any judgement or crossing intimacy boundaries. The theory is based on the centrality of human caring and on the caring-to-caring transpersonal relationship. It is suggested by Watson that a patient cannot be treated as an object and that he/she cannot be separate from self. Her theory encloses the entire world of nursing with the importance placed on the relational procedure between the care provider and care recipient (Dr Jean Watson, 1997).
It is also very important to ensure that person centered care is in consideration when caring for patients. This is because person centered care enables nurses to focus on putting patients' needs, wants and desires at the heart of everything they do, so that it is central to the care and nursing process Professor Jan Draper and Dr Josie Tetley, (2016) According to IOM (Institute of Medicine) (2015), person centered care is about providing patients with a respectful care and making sure that their preferences, needs and values are deliberated. Bob Price, (2006) agrees to the definition given by IOM, as he defines person centered care as a term which is used to demonstrate an interest in patients own experience. Both definitions educate the nurses on building a strong relationship with the patients by showing an interest in their own experience IOM, (2015) and Bob Price, (2006), It also guides the nurses on making sure that patients and families are part of developing and planning their care plan. For nurses to be able to do this, they must provide the patients and the families with consent forms Department of Health, (2000). Consent forms inform the patients about the treatment, test or examination that they will be receiving. It is very important that patients' consent is received before the procedure as it is an important part of medical ethics and international human rights law Department of Health, (2000)