Comprehensive, up-to-date knowledge of clinical skills procedures is a fundamental aspect of nursing care. This includes the underlying theory and evidence for procedures related to every aspect of a person′s care, aimed at enabling nurses to deliver the highest level of clinically effective, patient–focused care.
The company believes that, in maintaining practices that encourage you to consistently update and maintain your knowledge in clinical nursing procedures, you will gain and maintain the confidence to remain safe, informed and skilled practitioners.
As a minimum, the company expects you to be conversant in the following broad topics:
• Assessment, discharge and end of life care
• Infection prevention and control
• Risk management
• Communication
• Elimination
• Moving and handling
• Nutrition, fluid balance and blood transfusion
• Patient comfort
• Respiratory care
• Interpreting diagnostic tests
• Observations
• Medicines management
• Perioperative care
• Wound management
Addressing knowledge of procedures concerned with the above headings form the basis of your annual appraisals. To assist staff both in terms of maintaining their knowledge and in preparing for appraisal, the Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical nursing Procedures is made available to all nurses. This is recommended particularly to those nurses returning to clinical practice following a period of absence, by way of enhancing their induction back into their nursing practice.
Although the broad topics listed above do not tend to see much variation between organisations in terms of procedures undertaken, you should be aware that some hospitals or institutions may have their own local policies, assessment forms and clinical guidelines in place. You should be aware that some local variation could exist, however the company expects its client organisations to make agency staff aware of such practices.
Direct Medics Ltd. requests all relevant data from its clients in advance of booking and will provide all agency staff with information received.
