Leading Better Care: Report of the Senior Charge Nurse Review and Clinical Quality Indicators Project

Foreword for Senior Charge Nurse Review

I am delighted to contribute a few words of introduction to this very important report. I believe, and this report confirms, that the Senior Charge Nurse role is pivotal to the successful implementation of Scottish Government policy through delivery of organisational objectives of safe, effective and timely person-centred care that is evidenced through a positive patient experience and excellent clinical outcomes.

Getting the focus on that role right and providing the individuals who take on these challenging roles with the support they need to maximise their impact is crucial. The success of these roles depends on individuals in terms of their skills, knowledge, behaviour and attitude, the teams within which they work, the systems of how care is delivered and supported by the organisation and how the Senior Charge Nurse is positioned within the organisational culture.

I am confident that this Review of the Senior Charge Nurse role and the associated workstreams that support it provide a very strong and clear message about what the focus of the role should be and provide tools to support the role and thereby improve quality of care. The challenge now for NHSScotland is to implement it in a way that really delivers benefits for patients and carers.

It has been a great privilege to Chair the Project Board that has guided and influenced this work and I wish to thank everyone who has been involved across Scotland. Together we have laid the foundations for a bright future. Now, as a Board Director, I look forward to the challenge of making it a reality.

Heather Tierney-Moore
Nurse Director