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We wanted to start our first article on some very important information, which will keep ourselves and our future clients safe. We wanted to explain, what it means to be a nurse and the responsibility you have as a health professional. At times it can be daunting being an independent professional, however as nurses we have safe guards and rules to adhere to maintain our registration so we can work legally and professionally keeping the patients interests at heart all the time.

Jacci and I are  UK qualified nurses registered both in the UK and Spain with numerous other qualifications between us, we want to run a reputable, professional, legal inland care and nursing agency, for the local community.

What is a registered nurse? 
 
A registered nurse is a person who has met the standards of proficiency for pre-registration nursing education and has been declared as being of good health and good character. Whose name is held on the NMC Register as a person who is capable of safe and effective practice as a nurse. Once registered, a nurse is required to and “You must always act lawfully, whether those laws relate to your professional practice or personal life.”

If a nurse is asked to deliver care they consider unsafe or harmful to a person in their care, they should carefully consider their actions and raise their concerns to the appropriate person. Nurses must act in the best interest of the person in their care at all times.

If the nurse is delegating care to another professional, health care support staff, carer or relative, they must delegate effectively and are accountable for the appropriateness of the delegation. The Code requires that nurses and midwives must

• establish that anyone they delegate to is able to carry out their instructions
• confirm that the outcome of any delegated task meets required standards
• make sure that everyone they are responsible for is supervised and supported
Accountability is integral to professional practice. Nurses make judgements in a wide variety of circumstances. Nurses use their professional knowledge, judgement and skills to make a decision based on evidence for best practise and the person’s best interests. Nurses need to be able to justify the decisions they make. Work within the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and    
meet the Post Registration and Practice (PREP) standards.

As nurses we are covered by our registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to whom we are professionally accountable, and who issue a code of professional practice to which we are compelled to adhere. Failure to do so can result in nurses loosing their qualification and being removed from the register.

 “All nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses who wish to practise in the UK must be on the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Register.”

To check whether someone is on the Register, you can search by name and/or PIN number.  This service is available to everyone. You do not need an account, username or password. Go to www.nmc-uk.org then click the box search the register.

Code of Conduct for Members 2006 
 
The Code of conduct for members 2006 (the Code) is a set of standards, which Council members must adhere to.

The Code not only details the responsibilities that a Council member must undertake when fulfilling their role, but it also identifies the principles which they should comply with in relation to standards in public life. These principles were set out in the Nolan Committee’s first report on standards in public life.

The core function of the NMC is to establish standards of education, training, conduct and performance for nursing and midwifery and to ensure those standards are maintained, thereby safeguarding the health and wellbeing of the public.

Also our membership to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) covers us to work legally here in Spain. As qualified nurses we are trained to use our professional judgement in all situations, and can therefore be relied upon to offer a high quality nursing care. All nurses are legally accountable for their professional actions. Being a member of the RCN means as a professional nurse you are covered by an indemnity insurance scheme.

Accountability.

Nurses hold a position of responsibility and other people rely on them. They are professionally accountable to the NMC, as well as having a contractual accountability to their employer and are accountable to the law for their actions.

The Code says that:

“As a professional, you are personally accountable for actions and omissions in your practice and must always be able to justify your decisions”.

The RCN is also a member of the European Federation of Nursing Regulators (FEPI). FEPI’s main objective is to safeguard and promote the health of the public by creating and maintaining the highest standards of competence and conduct by EU nursing professionals.

Whereas we wholly agree that individuals who are potentially vulnerable should thoroughly vet anyone who may be providing them with care or nursing, and would not want anyone to put themselves at risk by employing unqualified or uninsured staff, we feel it is essential that everyone has all  the correct information on how the nursing registration and insurance cover works, the code of practice by which all nurses operate, and how to make thorough and appropriate checks on potential nurses and carers through the appropriate governing bodies.

You can call Jacci - 952495234 or Tania 619175948 to learn more. Or click here to email them for further details