The Countess of Chester Hospital has employed six new members of staff to improve care and comfort for patients and their families. The new members of staff are called Care and Comfort Assistants, as their role was developed to reflect the six fundamentals of care; Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment. They are known within the Planned Care Division as the 'Countess 6'.
The role of the Care and Comfort Assistant is designed to provide 'care and comfort' to patients post operatively, in particular to the elderly and frail. To build confidence, achieve self-care and independence as soon as possible, leading to a safe and timely discharge. The team consists of Deborah Fogg, Brendan Morgan, Denise Bennion, Sophie Evans, Philip Holden and Donna Morton.
Linda Fellowes, Divisional Director for Planned Care, secured a sum of £100,000 from NHS North West to trial six Care and Comfort Assistants for 12 months within the division. There are currently six Care and Comfort Assistants allocated across the three elective care wards (52, 53 and 54).
Linda Fellowes commented: "When I visit the wards and speak to patients the common theme I hear is that the nursing care on the elective wards is excellent but the ward is very busy. Patients are reluctant to use their call bells unless it is urgent and they will wait to draw a nurses' attention if they need anything.
"I had an idea to introduce a non- nursing role that was purely there to add value to the patient experience by being available to spend time talking and helping patients, for example making sure they have everything they need. I feel that this will not only benefit patients and their families but will help reduce the time patients will spend on the ward and release clinical time for clinical duties."
The six assistants will follow a set of guidelines in line with the nursing '6 Cs' (Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment) to ensure that patients receive the best possible care during their time on the ward. Supporting nursing staff on the ward, the Care and Comfort Assistants' main role is to spend quality time with patients, building relationships with them and their relatives.
Sandra Flynn, Nurse Consultant, has developed a training tool and is leading the evaluation of the project. Sandra is also providing the team with support and leadership.
Carmel Healey, Head of Nursing and Pathway Manager for Planned Care, commented: "This role will support the nursing teams to ensure every contact with the patient matters and this in turn will improve the patient experience in an acute hospital setting. This is a new role so we value the feedback from our patients and nursing teams in terms of the benefits this role can add to a patient journey. Our initial responses clearly demonstrate the positive impact the 'Countess 6' are having in their daily contact with patients, as they are telling us that that their experience in hospital has been made easier in terms of their overall care and comfort."