As Jane Cummings, chief nursing officer for England, announces a focus on embedding values in the nursing industry, leading talent management consultancy a&dc suggests this can only be achieved through adequate assessments of new staff.
The new campaign, headed up by Ms Cummings, aims to address concerns of neglect and abuse in hospitals and care homes by embedding values such as compassion, communication, and commitment in the workforce.
However according to a&dc, the focus should not only be on current employee values, but also on those entering the profession. “While a shift in current mindsets will have some impact, in order to make a real difference to how we care for patients now and in the future the industry needs a shift in focus and a fundamental re-think of how new staff are assessed and developed in their role.” Said Philippa Riley, Principal Consultant - Product Development at a&dc.
“If the industry continues to recruit through the same means as before it will continue to dilute the values which this new campaign has highlighted as extremely valuable. The solution lies in assessing those entering the sector to ensure they are living and breathing these key values and – where necessary – implementing a development plan where there are any weaknesses.” Philippa continued.
“When we work with clients in the healthcare sector we find that Situational Judgement Tests and psychometric tools based around values are a great way of assessing this kind of fit at an early stage.”
