NHS Trust becomes member of prestigious international standards programme

by Professor Natalie Pattison, Professor of Clinical Nursing & Bev Summerhayes, Chief Nurse Senior Fellow

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which runs the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, achieved the prestigious Pathway to Excellence® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Centre in July 2022. 
To achieve Pathway to Excellence designation we undertook a detailed document submission including information to support the six pathway standards essential to a positive practice environment namely: leadership, shared decision making, quality, safety, wellbeing, and professional development.  We then undertook the pathway survey where all registered and associate nurses and midwives were asked to indicate whether they believe that the pathway standards have been embedded within the Trust.  A minimum of 60% of nurses and midwives had to complete the survey, we achieved a 67.4% response rate.  In addition, a minimum of 21 of the 28 survey questions had to achieve a 75% or more favourable response – we achieved over 75% favourable response for all 28 questions within the survey.  

Nurses and midwives joining the Trust will have the reassurance of knowing that we respect and value their contribution, will support their professional development and nurture the work environment for them and their colleagues. Staff will benefit from:

• Opportunities to participate in shared decision-making councils
• Encouragement to get involved in quality improvement initiatives to help improve the outcomes and experience for our patients and their families
• Nursing and midwifery staff recognition
• A range of nursing, midwifery, and leadership development opportunities both local and national
• A range of wellbeing support for all staff
• Our professional practice model

Pathway to Excellence designation demonstrates that the Trust is creating an environment where nurses and midwives feel valued and supported and that we are nurturing a culture where they are motivated to do their best every day in caring and for our patients, caring for one another and having pride in the organisation.