Role of front-line nurse leadership in improving care
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Role of front-line nurse leadership in improving care

Paul Whitby Director, Care to Lead, Devizes, Wiltshire, England

Why you should read this article:
  • » 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

Citation

Whitby P (2018) Role of front-line nurse leadership in improving care. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11018

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

paul@caretolead.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Published online: 01 June 2018

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