Achieving RCN accreditation for SecuriCare stoma care clinical nursing standards

Abstract

Quality of care is a priority for the NHS. Written standards of care are statements that define a level of quality against which performance can be measured. They provide a benchmark against which quality may be assessed by describing either a minimum level required for safe and effective practice, or a level of excellence, thereby encouraging best practice. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) accredits resources that can demonstrate compliance with RCN criteria for achieving appropriate quality and promoting best practice. Thus, the accreditation process ensures that all interested parties can have confidence in the resource. This article describes how a team of specialist stoma care nurses submitted their standards of care to the RCN Accreditation Unit and the process by which accreditation was achieved. Readers will gain an understanding of how the RCN accredits resources and how undertaking the process provided an opportunity for critical review and further development of the resource as an educational tool. A second associated article to follow will look at two further educational resources developed for ward−based staff, addressing the challenges a specialist nurse may face in sharing knowledge and expertise with non−specialist staff.