Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Accountability is a key concern for nurses and midwives in the NHS today. Professional accountability--being responsible for your actions and for the outcomes of these actions--is part of the framework of clinical governance, which aims to provide good quality, cost-effective, evidence-based care.

The second edition of Accountability in Nursing and Midwifery addresses current issues and key concerns in accountability, focusing on accountability in the four main branches of nursing (adult, child, learning disabilities and mental health), as well as in midwifery, community nursing, and nursing management. In an increasingly litigious society, the ethical and legal implications of accountability are growing and it is important that nurses understand the implications for everyday practice.

Key book features:

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Contributors (p. xi)
• Preface (p. xiii)
• 1 Introduction (p. 1)
• Historical perspective (p. 1)
• An accountant looks at nursing (p. 1)
• Accountability and clinical governance (p. 2)
• Accountability and the law (p. 2)
• A policy perspective (p. 3)
• An NHS trust perspective (p. 3)
• A manager speaks (p. 4)
• Caring for children (p. 4)
• Learning disabilities (p. 5)
• Midwifery (p. 5)
• Community nursing (p. 6)
• Mental health nursing (p. 7)
• Research (p. 8)
• Conclusion (p. 8)
• 2 The Development of Nursing as an Accountable Profession (p. 9)
• Introduction (p. 9)
• Historical perspective (p. 9)
• The British Nurses' Association (p. 10)
• Mrs Bedford Fenwick (p. 10)
• Professional registration (p. 12)
• Matrons' Council of Great Britain and Ireland (p. 12)
• Political perspective (p. 14)
• Early registration bill (p. 15)
• The war (p. 16)
• Registration Act 1919 (p. 18)
• Conclusions (p. 19)
• 3 Accountability and Clinical Governance in Nursing: a Critical Overview of the Topic (p. 21)
• Introduction (p. 21)
• Accountability (p. 26)
• Accountability and reform (p. 30)
• Clinical governance (p. 32)
• Conclusion (p. 36)
• 4 Accountability and Clinical Governance (p. 38)
• Introduction (p. 38)
• Clinical governance (p. 39)
• Why do we have clinical governance? (p. 39)
• Poor care (p. 42)
• Short cuts (p. 43)
• Trust (p. 44)
• Conclusion (p. 45)
• 5 The Legal Accountability of the Nurse (p. 47)
• Introduction (p. 47)
• The concept of accountability and the new NHS (p. 47)
• Accountability is not irrelevant (p. 48)
• Labels can obscure meanings (p. 48)
• Ideas behind the label (p. 48)
• This chapter (p. 48)
• Legal accountability (p. 49)
• Interests, rights and duties: the role of the law (p. 49)
• The Ms B. case (p. 49)
• Dispute resolution, compensation and punishment (p. 50)
• Establishing nursing negligence (p. 50)
• Vicarious liability (p. 51)
• The aim of the law: compensation (p. 51)
• Clinical negligence law today: all change? (p. 51)
• Regulation, deterrence and education: the role of the law (p. 52)
• Evidence-based healthcare and the courts (p. 54)
• The scandals of recent years (p. 54)
• The law affects all aspects of nursing (p. 55)
• The various forms of accountability (p. 55)
• Accountable to whom? (p. 56)
• Accountability and sanctions (p. 57)
• The allocation and management of healthcare resources: the nurse's role (p. 58)
• A conflict of accountability (p. 58)
• The role of the law: legal accountability (p. 59)
• Cases of resource and negligence (p. 59)
• Conclusion (p. 63)
• 6 Accountability and Clinical Governance: a Policy Perspective (p. 64)
• Introduction (p. 64)
• Background: the NHS pre-1997 (p. 64)
• The Labour Government's challenge (p. 66)
• Practising within an era of increasing accountability (p. 68)
• Towards a modern and dependable NHS: the Labour Government's response (p. 68)
• Accountability and clinical governance (p. 70)
• Organisational accountability (p. 70)
• Reflections on the broader policy context (p. 74)
• Conclusion (p. 76)
• 7 Accountability in NHS Trusts (p. 77)
• Introduction (p. 77)
• Clinical governance (p. 77)
• Responsibilities of trusts (p. 78)
• Professional self-regulation (p. 82)
• A systematic approach to decision making (p. 84)
• Implications for practice (p. 84)
• Conclusion (p. 86)
• 8 Accountability and Clinical Governance in Nursing: a Manager's Perspective (p. 87)
• Introduction (p. 87)
• Background context (p. 87)
• Clinical governance as a concept (p. 88)
• The meaning of clinical governance (p. 88)
• Our interpretation of clinical governance (p. 89)
• Has clinical governance made a difference? (p. 91)
• Clinical governance and its impact at board level (p. 91)
• Clinical governance structures as a vehicle for change (p. 92)
• Clinical governance and people governance (p. 93)
• Clinical governance and its impact on nursing (p. 95)
• Clinical governance and cultural change (p. 96)
• Sharing good practice (p. 97)
• Evidence-based practice--the reality (p. 98)
• 9 Working with Children: Accountability and Paediatric Nursing (p. 99)
• Introduction (p. 99)
• Definition of paediatric nursing (p. 100)
• Ability (p. 101)
• Obligations (p. 103)
• Involving parents (p. 104)
• Autonomy of children (p. 106)
• Authority (p. 107)
• Free will and choice (p. 108)
• Power and political action (p. 109)
• Responsibility (p. 111)
• Responsibilities for treatment (p. 111)
• Consequences of responsibility (p. 113)
• Responsibility of parents and children (p. 114)
• Conclusion (p. 116)
• 10 Accountability and Clinical Governance in Learning Disability Nursing (p. 117)
• Introduction (p. 117)
• Clinical governance in learning disability nursing and guidelines for practice (p. 118)
• Consent (p. 120)
• Interdisciplinary working (p. 120)
• Evidence-based practice (p. 121)
• Advocacy (p. 121)
• Autonomy (p. 121)
• Relationships (p. 122)
• Confidentiality (p. 122)
• Risk assessment and management (p. 122)
• The challenges of effectively implementing clinical governance in services for people with learning disabilities (p. 123)
• Fragmented partnership working (p. 125)
• User and carer involvement (p. 125)
• The spectrum of need (p. 126)
• Quality of life (p. 126)
• Solutions to the barriers associated with implementing clinical governance in learning disability services (p. 127)
• Conclusion (p. 131)
• 11 Where does the Buck Stop? Accountability in Midwifery (p. 132)
• Introduction (p. 132)
• What is meant by accountability? (p. 133)
• To whom is the midwife accountable? (p. 134)
• Institutional accountability (p. 135)
• Accountability to the woman (p. 136)
• Personal accountability (p. 136)
• Professional accountability (p. 137)
• Hierarchy of accountability (p. 138)
• Accountability and autonomy (p. 139)
• What are the prerequisites for accountable midwifery practice? (p. 140)
• What are the implications of the midwife being accountable? (p. 141)
• Conclusion (p. 141)
• 12 Accountability in Community Nursing (p. 143)
• Introduction (p. 143)
• Organisational and policy issues affecting the accountability of community nursing (p. 143)
• Current issues in community nursing (p. 145)
• Resource allocation and skill mix (p. 145)
• Delegation and skill mix (p. 145)
• Legal and professional issues in community nursing (p. 147)
• Clinical governance (p. 148)
• Clinical effectiveness and evidence-based practice (p. 149)
• Role developments (p. 150)
• Nurse prescribing (p. 152)
• Primary healthcare and public health nursing (p. 153)
• Conclusion (p. 156)
• 13 Clinical Governance, Accountability and Mental Health Nursing: an Emergent Story (p. 157)
• Introduction (p. 157)
• Review of themes from Tilley (1995) (p. 158)
• The centrality of the topic (p. 158)
• Accounts (p. 160)
• Accounting (p. 161)
• Accountability (p. 162)
• Accountability and clinical governance (p. 164)
• The role of the mental health nurse in clinical governance (p. 167)
• 14 Accountability in Nursing Research (p. 170)
• Introduction (p. 170)
• Research as a responsibility of an accountable profession (p. 170)
• Accountability in nursing research (p. 171)
• Nurse researchers as nurses (p. 172)
• The importance of accountability in research (p. 172)
• To whom are nurse researchers accountable? (p. 173)
• Accountability to the sponsor (p. 174)
• Accountability to research ethics committees (p. 176)
• Accountability to research participants (p. 178)
• Accountability to research 'gatekeepers' (p. 182)
• Accountability to (and of) the profession (p. 185)
• Accountability to the wider public (p. 186)
• Tensions of multiple accountability (p. 187)
• Conclusion (p. 189)
• Appendix Code of Professional Conduct (Reproduced with permission of the Nursing and Midwifery Council) (p. 190)
• References (p. 198)
• Index (p. 216)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Roger Watson is a Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing, Social Work and Applied Health Studies at the University of Hull.