We launched our vision for nurses and midwives, called Compassion in Practice, back in December.
It outlines the values every nurse or midwife should work to, known as the ‘six Cs’. This concept has caught the attention of caring staff everywhere.
The six Cs – care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment – are the core elements of our vision. We wanted to reinforce the values that attract people to nursing and midwifery, and the qualities that the general public take for granted that we all have.
While each of the six Cs are equal, it is care and compassion which seem to stick out, especially when set against the backdrop of the inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
The Compassion in Practice document, when defining care and compassion, says: ‘Care is our core business and that of our organisations, and the care we deliver helps the individual person and improves the health of the whole community. Caring defines us and our work. People receiving care expect it to be right for them, consistently, throughout every stage of their life.’
Compassion is how care is given through relationships based on empathy, respect and dignity – it can also be described as intelligent kindness, and is central to how people perceive their care.
The apparent lack of compassion shown by staff at the Stafford Hospital has shocked both the public and people in the profession. Compassion comes naturally to the over- whelming majority of nurses and caring professionals; I can say that with confidence, because I have seen it first hand over the last 30 years.
What we are trying to achieve with the six Cs is to reaffirm those qualities and standards so that the public know what they can expect from nurses and carers, and those in the profession are aware that no matter how nursing changes, those six values remain at the core.
The reality is that there are some nurses who do not have the capacity to be compassionate and truly care, despite training and support. They have no place in the NHS. We only want nurses who come to work to make a difference for their patients and are prepared to take personal responsibility for individuals in their care.
Along with colleagues at the NHS Commissioning Board, we are now setting out the next steps to ensure that where compassion is lacking it is restored to its rightful place in the day-to-day work of nurses and carers.
The six Cs reaffirm these qualities and standards so that the public know what they can expect from nurses measure their culture. This will help them to look at what they need to do to reemphasise the importance of compassion, as well as the other five Cs.
Getting the patient/staff ratio right is essential when delivering care. To help put this in place a series of tools are being developed to determine, locally, the most appropriate staffing levels for a particular health and social care setting that reflects and delivers quality of care, productivity and a good patient or user experience.
Other areas of work include putting in place a system which involves providing supervision and support within a culture of care, compassion and a recognition of the emotional labour of nursing, midwifery and care giving – ensuring that health employers aim for 90% coverage of all staff with their local appraisal system, and that staff self-report that this is of a high quality 80% of the time.
FAQs
Why were the 6 Cs of nursing introduced? The 6 Cs – care, compassion, courage, communication, commitment, competence - are a central part of 'Compassion in Practice', which was first established by NHS England Chief Nursing Officer, Jane Cummings, in December 2017.
How to remember the 6 C's of nursing? ›
What nouns beginning with C do you think might be essentially important in delivery of health and social care? So, the 6Cs are care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.
What are the 6Cs of nursing interview questions and answers? ›
Interviewee: Before your interview, you must ensure you understand the six Cs of nursing, which are: care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. It's not enough to say what they are – you need to share examples of when you've successfully exhibited all these traits.
Which of the 6Cs is most important? ›
Let's understand the 6 C's of nursing a little better. Care is the first C; Care is defined as the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something. The primary duty of the nurse is to care for the patient. Amongst all the C's this is the most important.
What is the role of a CNO? ›
The chief nursing officer job description focuses on both nursing leadership and organizational administration. A CNO's responsibilities are typically related to setting patient care standards, establishing processes and protocols for achieving those standards, and managing the work of nurses who care for patients.
What are the 6 C's nursing values? ›
The 6Cs of nursing are:
- Care.
- Compassion.
- Competence.
- Communication.
- Courage.
- Commitment.
The Six Cs model was developed by ICFR co-founder, Dr. Moshe Farchi. The Six Cs is an acronym that represents the model's six intervention principles: Communication, Commitment, Cognition, Continuity, Control and Challenge.
What is the 6 C's format? ›
Drafting involves writing consistently in a formal, casual, or informal style characterized by the “Six Cs”: clarity, conciseness, coherence, correctness, courtesy, and conviction.
What are the 6Cs of nursing NICE guidelines? ›
The 6 Cs of care
- Care. Care is our core business and that of our organisations; and the care we deliver helps the individual person and improves the health of the whole community. ...
- Compassion. ...
- Competence. ...
- Communication. ...
- Courage. ...
- Commitment.
These are Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment. Nurses who operate on these values ensure that the job gets done in an effective and efficient manner and that patients are safe and treated well. This refers to treating patients correctly, in a respectful and non-judgemental manner.
The hardest part about answering why you want to be a nurse is that you need to be honest, without sounding trite. “I just want to help people” is a phrase that has been heard far too often in nurse job interviews.
What are some weaknesses of a nurse? ›
List of Weaknesses for Nurses
- Difficulty delegating tasks.
- Emotionally impacted by patients' pain.
- Wanting to accomplish everything at once.
- Excessive attention to detail.
- Balancing compassion and objectivity.
- Taking too long to document.
- Not having a lot of clinical experience (for new grads)
What came out clearly, and what has been the driving force behind Compassion in Practice, is the core values and behaviours that are absolutely essential to great care. The result was the 6Cs – care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.
Which one of the 6Cs gives you the confidence to do the right thing in difficult or challenging situations? ›
Courage. Courage links in closely with safeguarding and allows care professionals to do the right thing by the people that they care for, especially in difficult and challenging situations. It also means care workers have the courage to raise concerns and issues that may arise.
Why is commitment one of the 6Cs? ›
Commitment. The final one of the 6Cs refers to having a commitment to patients and the community and putting this at the centre of work. Your patients and their care should be your priority. Being highly committed to them helps to improve their quality of care and experience as well as that of other patients.
What are the six C's to effective nurse leadership? ›
The values were care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment, and became commonly referred to as the “6Cs of nursing”. Each of the six values, which were also backed by six areas of action, carried equal weight and focused on putting patients at the “heart of everything” that nurses do.
What are the competencies of a chief nurse? ›
The skills that a CNO needs can include: Healthcare management. The ability to appropriately manage all aspects of a healthcare environment including budgeting, nurse management, hiring, employee training, and data analysis. Leadership.
What are the top priorities of a chief nursing officer? ›
Your responsibilities include strategy development, high-level decision-making, financial forecasting, budget accountability, quality, safety, and staff and patient engagement. You also inspire and approve the models of nursing care delivery adopted at your institution.
