Stevens, Jane, Webb, Janet, Newton, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8525-6763 and Aspland, Denise (2024) Evaluation of clinical nurse tutors in developing and embedding a culture of patient safety in an acute NHS Trust. Journal of Advanced Nursing. ISSN 0309-2402 (Print), 1365-2648 (Online) (In Press)

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Abstract

This paper presents an evaluation of the impact of a quality improvement project where a small team of clinical nurse tutors (CNTs) were recruited with the explicit aim of reversing a trend of deteriorating ward-based quality standards in an acute NHS Trust. The objectives of the evaluation were to inform whether the intervention achieved key performance indicators, a qualitative assessment of impact, and to make recommendations regarding ongoing establishment of the roles as substantive posts within the organisation.

Methods
A mixed methods approach was used with collation of quantitative data from a survey and secondary data points. The recruited clinical nurse tutors maintained reflexive journals, which were anonymised and used by the researchers as supplementary qualitative primary data, Further, semi-structured interviews we undertaken and focus groups conducted, providing further data.
Results
The recruitment and on-boarding of the team were evaluated and judged to be critical for the success of the project, including a values-based approach to recruitment and the organisation’s continuous quality improvement (CQI) team helping the CNTs to develop key performance indicators (KPIs). All the initial KPIs of the pilot were achieved. The survey results demonstrated that there was
an improvement in ward staff feeling supported clinically, and an increase in confidence levels, particularly in newly qualified nurses and nursed trained outside of the UK. It was reported that the CNTs enabled nurses undergoing their preceptorship to sign off on their
generic competencies more quickly, thus enabling these nurses to move to undertake practice assessor qualifications.
Discussion
The CNTs were able to act with agility to react to patient safety issues within the organisation and develop bite-sized learning opportunities. Further, they were able to serve as ward-to�board and board-to-ward connectors in the organisation. The CNTs were regarded as ‘pollinators’ within the ecosystem of the hospital, with a peripatetic approach to contextualised knowledge generation. They had a complementary relationship with other nurse-educators in the organisation, notably practice development nurses, and overall had a positive impact on staff wellbeing.

Conclusions and Recommendation
Based on the findings described, the recommendation was to establish the roles permanently within the organisation, and to continue to evaluate the impact on quality and safety
standards.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	clinical nurse tutors; workforce; evaluation; qualitative
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RT Nursing
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Professional Workforce Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Health Sciences (HEA)
Last Modified:	09 Dec 2024 16:33
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/47512

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