The Nursing Associate's Handbook of Clinical Skills

At the point of registration, the nursing associate will to have demonstrate that have the knowledge, skills and behaviours to communicate effectively with people across the lifespan in a variety of healthcare and social care settings.

Effective communication and relationship management skills have to be learnt and honed in order to ensure that the patient is at the centre of all that is done. To be able to communicate effectively, with sensitivity and compassion, and to manage relationships with people is key to the provision of high‐quality, person‐centred care.

When those people being care for and offered support to have special communication needs or a disability, it is important that the nursing associate make reasonable adjustments. This will mean that they will be able to provide and share information in such a way that promotes good health and health outcomes and enables equal access to the highest quality of care.

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Joanna Regan1 and Karen Wild2

1Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, UK

2Nurse, UK

This chapter aims to provide the reader with an insight into the special nature of interpersonal and therapeutic relationship skills in patient–nursing associate interactions.

By the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to:

Identify interpersonal and therapeutic relationship skills

Understand the skills required to enable a therapeutic relationship

Discuss the importance of the ‘6Cs’ that underpin the (National Health Service) NHS’s professional commitment to always deliver excellent care