Principles of Health Care Practice Code of Conduct Essay

1.1 Introduction I am writing this report as a requirement for my HNC Health Care course which will be submitted to Christine Hughes. In this report I will be comparing and contrasting two health care professions, the two health care professions I have chosen to compare is nursing and social work. The report will be highlighting the principles of healthcare, such as Education and Registration, (still to finish) 1.2 Nursing Education & Registration To train to be a qualified nurse you undertake either a pre-registration diploma or degree at university this is normally a three year programme. Degrees and diploma programmes comprise of 50% theory and 50% practice, with time split between the higher education institute. Nursing is organised into four branches – Adult, Children, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities. During the first year of nurse training you are introduced to all of the key areas as part of the Common Foundation Programme. In the second and third year you focus on a specific branch, which runs the course. Registered nurses and midwives are responsible for assessing the needs of individuals, planning and implementing their care, and evaluating the effectiveness. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the statutory regulatory body for nursing, midwifery and health visiting in the United Kingdom. All nurses working in the UK, including those trained abroad, need to be registered with the NMC in order to practice as a nurse in the UK, of that care. All qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors are required to be members of the NMC in order to practice. If nurses, midwives or health visitors are found guilty of misconduct, the NMC has the authority to strike them off the register. www.nhscareers.nhs.uk, www.planitplus.net/careerzone/ www.nursingnetuk 1.3 Social Work Education & Registration Social work requires a professional qualification, currently a three year undergraduate honours degree or a two year Masters degree in social work that has been approved by the General Social Care Council (GSCC)). The course involves a combination of course work and a minimum of 200 days spent in practice settings providing the opportunity for lots of practical experience before you actually qualify. The social work qualification is suitable for social workers in all settings and sectors. As a student and once qualified you will need to register with the General Social Care Council (GSCC) which is responsible for regulating the workforce. Previous qualifications in social work including the diploma will continue to be recognised as valid social work qualifications. There are a variety of ways to enter the social work profession, according to age and previous experience. www.socialworkcareers.co.uk, www.planitplus.net/careerzone 2.1 The Nursing & Midwifery Council The NMC is the regulatory body for nursing and midwifery; there purpose is to improve the standards of nursing and midwifery care in order to protect the public through professional standards. NMC register all nurses and midwives to ensure that they are properly qualified and competent to work in the UK. They set the standard of education; training and conduct that nurses and midwives will deliver high quality healthcare consistently throughout their careers. NMC also makes sure that nurses and midwives keep all their skills and knowledge up to date and to uphold the standards of their professional code. They also investigate allegations made against nurses and midwives who may not have followed the code. Every registered nurse, midwife or health visitor must renew their registration every three years. Post-registration education and practice (Prep) is set by the NMC which is designed to help nurses and midwifes provide a high standard of practice and care. There are legal requirements set which must be met in order for there registration to be renewed. 2.2 General Social Care Council The General Social Care Council (GSCC) sets standards of conduct for social care employers and workers, this regulates the social care workforce including regulating social work their training and education. The GSCC is responsible for codes of practice for employers and employees in the care sector. Social Care Register is a register of qualified social workers, the registration will ensure that those working in social care meet rigorous registration requirements and will hold them to account for their conduct by codes of practice. Registered social workers are also required to complete post-registration training and learning activities before renewing their registration every three years. Post-registration training and learning requirements that all registered social workers must meet are every social worker registered with the GSCC shall, within the period of registration, complete either 90 hours or 15 days of study, training, courses, seminars, reading, teaching or other activities which could reasonably be expected to advance the social worker’s professional development. To keep a record of post-registration training and learning undertaken, and failure to meet these conditions may be considered misconduct. Continuing Professional Development in Nursing All registered nurses and midwives are required to take part in continuing professional development (CPD) in order to maintain their professional registration. This is part of the post-registration education and practice (PREP) requirements, set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council NMC. There are two types of PREP, 1. Practice standards and Continuing professional development standards. CPD is fundamental to the development of all health care practitioners, as it is important that nurses keep there knowledge and skills up-to date, to improve standards in the practice and to gain more qualifications. To meet the CPD standards nurses must undertake at least 35 hours of learning activity relevant to their practice every three years, to maintain a personal professional profile of their learning activity and to comply with any requests to audit how they have met these requirements. Nurses and midwives who do not comply with the Prep requirements will cause their registration to lapse and can no longer work as a registered nurse or midwife. These requirements must be met every three years, and are declared at the point that registration is renewed. 3.1 Clinical Governance Clinical governance is the framework through which the NHS is accountable for the continuing improvement of quality of professional standards whilst still safeguarding high standards of care, thereby creating an environment which aims for clinical excellence. It is to ensure that high quality and professional standards are being maintained, and that health professionals are competent to deliver care safely with the right training and skills. This protects the patients from risks and mistakes allowing them to have confidence and faith in their care providers. Clinical governance also ensures that practitioners are accountable for the quality of patient care they provide meaning that they are more likely to question their practice and seek to make it of more benefit to the patient’s health. If it is found that those standards are not being met or they have got complaints from individuals about there delivery of care, there will be someone answerable for the failures to maintain standards. Nurses are responsible for their own competence and if they carry out treatments or procedures then they will be deeming themselves to do so.