» To recognise the influence of front-line leaders on staff behaviour and organisational culture
» To understand the link between suboptimal care, neglect and abuse, and suboptimal leadership
» To support the development of leadership skills in front-line nurses
» To enhance your awareness of the leadership opportunities for nurses that arise in everyday clinical practice
Healthcare professionals continue to debate how to address the issues of suboptimal care, neglect and abuse in healthcare settings. One solution that is likely to achieve improvements in care is the widespread development of leadership skills in front-line nurses. The behaviour of front-line nurses is a major determinant of patients’ healthcare experience and their perception of the quality of care they receive. Front-line leaders in healthcare settings such as wards, care homes and clinics are the people with the strongest and most immediate influence on staff behaviour. Therefore, nurses, ward managers and matrons are well-placed to improve organisational cultures and implement appropriate changes in their practice settings, if provided with appropriate support and training.
Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11018
CitationWhitby P (2018) Role of front-line nurse leadership in improving care. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11018
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
Published online: 01 June 2018
or
Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now
Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more
