Building Nursing Teams for the Future
Why
should nurses
consider
examining the
way we organise
our nursing
care?
We are experiencing changes
in our nursing workforce including:
 The introduction of different levels
of nurses
 An aging workforce and
 An increasing number of novice
practitioners.
All will have an impact
on the workforce of tomorrow
The healthcare environment in which
we work has altered over the last decade
We are now exposed to:
 An increase in patient acuity
 An increased number of patients with one or more
chronic conditions and associated co-morbidities
 Improved care and treatment has led to a reduced
length of stay and a high patient turnover
 Rapidly expanding medical and technical
breakthroughs resulting in an increased
complexity and need for specialty care.
Consequently, acute care hospitals
are busy places accommodating
sicker patients requiring more
intensive treatments necessitating
coordinated
and
expert nursing care
 A key recommendation (45) of the
Garling Report identified that state-wide
principles of best practice for the supervision
of junior clinicians should be developed
Clinical leaders must build a culture
where all staff assume the role of supervision
in the interests of the patient.
First year RNs and nurses
new to the ward/unit
require support and supervision
from more experienced nurses
The Bureau of health Information (BHI)
Insights Into Care Report looks closely at the care
experiences of the one million patients who spend a day,
or one or more nights, in NSW public hospitals each year.
The report states that:
staff teamwork
and courtesy of nurses matter most
to patients across NSW
Bureau of Health Information (2010) Insights into Care:
Patients’ Perspectives on NSW Public Hospitals Sydney.
Available at
http://www.bhi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/117841/BHI-InsightsIntoCare-MainReport2010.pdf
In a “nut shell”
 Acute care hospitals are busy places accommodating
sicker patients who require more intensive treatments
requiring coordinated and expert nursing care
 Need to recruit and retain nurses in the system
 First year RNs require support and supervision during
their first critical year of practice
 Nurses new to the ward/unit require support
and guidance
 Staff teamwork and courtesy of nurses
matter most to patients across NSW.
Therefore, nurses today
need to support and grow
the workforce of the future
by ensuring that not only the
‘science’ but also the ‘art’
of nursing is supported
through the way that work
is organised
What is the WOW project?
 NSW Health Nursing and
Midwifery Office commenced the
WOW Project in 2010
 The project explored the ways in which
nurses organise their clinical work.
WOW project findings
 Site visits and discussions with a number of nurses
and other key stakeholders were conducted across
NSW to gain an understanding of the variety of
ways that work is organised at the ward/unit level.
 A number of WOW have been identified:
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Patient allocation
Allocation in teams
Task or functional
Modular
Primary Nursing
Case management
Team.
More collaborative
approaches will help to build
future nurses’ skills
and capabilities
A Collaborative Nursing Model
requires teamwork
Teamwork requires:
1.
2.
A clear vision for the future
Team member’s roles are clearly defined and all team members know
what their jobs are
3. Open and clear communication
4. Effective decision making
5. Balanced participation ensures that everyone on the team is fully involved.
‘Without participation you don’t have a team, you have a group of bodies’
6. Valued diversity where team members are valued for the contributions
that they bring to the team
7. Managed conflict ensures that problems are not ‘swept under the rug’
8. Positive atmosphere with trust being the most important ingredient
9. Cooperative relationships where there is a sense of belonging and a
willingness to make things work for the good of the whole team
10. Participative leadership where leaders share the responsibility and the glory,
are supportive and fair, create a climate of trust and openness
and are good coaches and teachers.
How can you implement a
Collaborative Nursing Model
in your ward/unit?
The WOW Resource:
 Introduces the evidence for considering a CNM
in your ward/unit
 Provides guidelines for implementing a CNM
in your ward/unit
 Provides an audiovisual representation of
nurses working collaboratively – Making it Real
 Provides tools that can be used to support and
evaluate a CNM.
Available on the intranet at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing/projects/WOW.asp