“The six standards of care within the NHS are something that we as a Trust fully believe in and work tirelessly to adhere to on a daily basis.” (Ann-Marie Riley, head nurse at Good Hope Hospital). 

In December 2012, a new vision and strategy for nurses, midwives and carers in England was published by NHS England to help create improvements in care for all people cared for and supported in the NHS.

The vision focuses on six values all of which should be implemented and lead to patients receiving high quality care and treatment. So what are these values? Known as the 6C’s they are:

• Care: The care delivered should help the individual person and improve the health of the whole community. People who require care will 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, dignity and respect.
• Competence means all those in caring roles must have the ability to understand an individual’s health, social needs and the expertise to deliver effective care and treatments.
• Communication is central to successful caring relationships and key to a good workplace with benefits for both staff and patients.
• Courage enables us to do the right thing for the people we care for and to speak up when we have any concerns.
• Commitment: Staff need to be committed and help improve the care and experience for patients.

To show our support of the 6C’s, Heartlands Hospital played host to a roadshow event during September that focused on the importance of equality and diversity. There were a number of speakers at the event and Trust  representatives spoke about the launch of its cultural ambassador’s programme  which is due to launch on 1 October and has involved working alongside the Royal College of Nursing.

Professor Laura Serrant, a non-executive director at our Trust who was recently given the honour of the title of Queen’s Nurse, also spoke at the roadshow with a key message for attendees around an ‘equal chance for patients and staff.’

Hazel Gunter, director of workforce, also spoke at the event and said afterwards: “The roadshow was a really engaging and informative event and the Trust was delighted to be able to host the only event of its kind outside of London. It was also fantastic to showcase our commitment to equality and diversity in every aspect of our work.”

A conference called ‘6 C’s At The Heart of Care’ is another event organised by our Trust. Taking place on 8 October at Birmingham City Football Club, it will focus on how to put the 6C’s into everyday practice. The likes of Jane Cummings, England’s chief nursing officer, Professor Chris Ham, chief executive of The King’s Fund and Paul Vaughan, regional director of the Royal College of Nursing in the West Midlands, are confirmed speakers.

The event is open to nursing professionals both within and external to the Trust and places can be booked by calling 0121 424 9050.