Nurse champions of older people: a national audit and critical review

Abstract

This paper aims to equip nurses working with older people with an understanding of the roles and activities of Champions for Older People. The position of Older People's Champion was established in England to help implement the National Service Framework for Older People at local level. This paper reports on the findings of a national survey of older people's Champions. It sets this in the context of developments around health polices for older people. Forty-three of the 209 Champions who participated in this study were nurses. Nurses were the most commonly appointed clinical Champions in National Health Service Trusts responding to the survey; they used this position to promote changes within their organisation and locality. While focusing on the implementation of National Service Framework for Older People targets and requirements, some used their position to work with organisations of local older people and advocated for older patients' interests. Nurses conceived their position as clinical Champions broadly and reported that they used this role to promote service improvements for older people. Those who established networks with other Champions and older people's groups found this useful. Their role as Champions appeared to encourage a proactive and outward-looking perspective and provides evidence of the workings of one model of Championship. Embedding championing roles within organisations may be one way of bringing about change in the way that services to older people are developed.