GOSH nursing graduates of 'exceptional quality'

A new report into approaches to adult nursing praises done work at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, in partnership with London South Bank University.According to today’s Guardian, "Nurses, doctors and care workers should be recruited as much for their compassion as for their exam results, according to an inquiry into improving the dignity of treatment of elderly people in hospitals and care homes.

"A shake-up of the criteria used for selecting and appraising staff should give the same emphasis to their assessed values and capacity to engage with older people as to their formal qualifications, the inquiry recommends. But it stops short of backing any lowering of academic entry bars.

The call is among a raft of proposals by a commission set up jointly by bodies representing NHS organisations and local councils together with a leading charity for older people, following a series of reports and investigations exposing poor care in hospitals and care homes."

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children works with London South Bank University and is probably the largest trainer of children's nurses in the country. GOSH has been working on ensuring nursing students have the right values and approaches for some years.

The Guardian says, "Trish Morris-Thompson, NHS London's chief nurse and a member of the commission, said that recruitment and regular career appraisal of staff should consider their values and compassion as much as academic rigour. A pilot scheme involving Great Ormond Street children's hospital in London and the South Bank University nursing course had produced graduates of exceptional quality."

GOSH Chief Nurse Liz Morgan (pictured) said she welcomed the recognition.

• In 2009 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) engaged with children and young people, parent/carers, as well as nurses, doctors and other staff to identify the core characteristics of an excellent GOSH nurse.
• From this we built our vision for nursing at GOSH based around safe, compassionate and effective care.
• In 2010, in partnership with London South Bank University, we turned our attention to how we could recruit student nurses with the essential attributes which would enable them to become excellent children’s nurses, not just at GOSH but for all children’s health care settings in the country.
• Our mission was to ensure that our nurses are not only sufficiently intelligent, but also able to care for children and young people with compassion and dignity.