The courage of compassion: Supporting nurses and midwives to deliver high-quality care

The RCN Foundation is a charity and grant-maker that is committed to supporting and strengthening nursing and midwifery to improve the health and wellbeing of the public. [...] In this section, we set out some of the key background context for this report: the current picture in terms of staff shortages and levels of stress among the nursing and midwifery workforce, an overview of some of the key causal factors that have an impact on nurse and midwife stress levels, and the consequences of poor nurse and midwife wellbeing for nurses and midwives themselves, their patient. [...] 29 The courage of compassion Figure 1: The ABC framework of nurse and midwife core work needs For each of the eight factors, we set out the evidence and key issues emerging from our review, illustrate what good practice can look like with examples from across the UK, and outline the changes that are needed to achieve meaningful progress and to support nursing and midwifery staff to flourish and th. [...] For each, it sets out the evidence on the current picture and key issues across the UK, and outlines the kinds of changes and interventions that are most urgently needed to ensure that nurses and midwives have meaningful autonomy and control over the way they and their organisations work. [...] The challenge for nursing and midwifery leaders and all other leaders is how to help ensure that nursing and midwifery staff have the authority to influence the direction of their work, the strategies and processes of their organisations, and to implement their ideas for new and improved ways of doing things, in psychologically safe and supportive environments.