Fundamentals of Person-Centred Healthcare Practice

So just as a piece of music can jolt us into our bodies and emotions and then being still and silent to go deeper into ourselves to reflect upon what matters to us, this book jolts us to examine issues in relation to our past, current and future practices as well as our ways of active learning, knowing, being and becoming. Thus, it can help us embody or internalise the Framework in our own being and practice.

I finish with a haiku that captures the most important thing for me about this book, at this time in our world’s history. I wish you well. You are the future.

Singing the circle round

A call to action

Person‐centredness for all

Human flourishing!

Decision‐makers!

For moral healthcare systems

This book is a gift

Exemplar for all

Showing how to enculture

Person‐centredness

Angie Titchen

July 2020

The editors are grateful to Sharon Middlemass for the help and support she provided to us in managing this project. Her attention to detail, unfailing persistence and good humour has enabled the project to be brought to fruition. We are eternally grateful.

Brendan McCormack DPhil (Oxon), BSc (Hons) Nursing, FRCN, FEANS, FRCSI, PGCEA, RMN, RGN, FAANProfessor Brendan McCormack is Head of the Division of Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Art Therapies; Associate Director, Centre for Person‐centred Practice Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland; and Honorary Nurse Consultant, Erskine Care, Scotland. He also holds adjunct professorial positions at universities in Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, South Africa, Austria, Denmark and Australia. His research has specifically focused on person‐centred practice, and over a period of 22 years he has developed models, theories, frameworks and evaluation instruments that have been adopted globally in policy and practice. In addition, he has led the implementation and evaluation of person‐centred practices in a variety of clinical settings and in healthcare curricula. Professor McCormack has particular expertise in gerontological nursing and the adoption of person‐centred practices with older people.

Tanya McCance DPhil, MSc, BSc (Hons), RGNProfessor Tanya McCance has an international reputation in the development of person‐centred practice through the use of participatory research approaches, such as practice development and action research. She has been a registered nurse since 1990 and throughout her career has held several joint posts between higher education institutions and health and social care providers, demonstrating her commitment to the integration of practice, education and research. She has developed a programme of work through engaged scholarship and research that is underpinned by the Person‐centred Practice Framework, which is central to the impact of her research. Her most recent work focuses on the identification of a relevant and appropriate set of key performance indicators for nursing and midwifery that are indicative of person‐centred care and the development of methods that will demonstrate the unique contribution of nursing to the patient experience. She has been recognised for her research contribution by inclusion in the Nursing Times Inspirational Nurse Leaders List (September 2015), was awarded the Nurse of the Year 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award, and was listed as one of 70 influential nurses and midwives in 70 years of the NHS. Tanya’s contribution reflects her passion for nursing and her commitment to the development of person‐centred practice that will enhance the care experience for patients and their families.

Cathy Bulley PhD, MCSP, SFHEADr Cathy Bulley is a Reader in the School of Health Sciences at Queen Margaret University. She trained in Physiotherapy, and quickly developed a love of research, progressing to PhD studies within Queen Margaret University. Engaging in clinical practice reinforced her love of using research to advocate for people by exploring their experiences of health and healthcare, and Cathy returned to Queen Margaret University.

She is fascinated with the ways in which physiotherapy and other allied health professions enact person‐centredness; how different ways of researching interact with person‐centred principles; and with the way these concepts mesh with user‐centred product design and innovation.

Donna Brown PhD, RN, MA, PGDipHP, PGCertDonna is currently a Lecturer of Nursing, Postgraduate Tutor for the Institute of Nursing and Health Research and Course Director for the BSc(Hons)/PGDip/MSc Developing Practice in Healthcare Programme, in the School of Nursing, Ulster University. Having qualified as a registered general nurse, Donna has worked across many areas in healthcare and specialised in pain management. She initiated the Acute Pain Service at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, and was the lead nurse for pain services across the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. Donna’s commitment to developing nursing practice, education and research has been evident throughout her career. She has influenced the development of practice and education programmes both in terms of pain management and facilitating learning in practice.

Donna’s work focuses on participatory research approaches, such as action research and practice development, working with teams and individuals to assist them in exploring the culture and context in which they work. She has a particular interest in person‐centredness, pain management, knowledge utilisation, critical reflection, facilitation, learning in and from practice and older people.

Ailsa McMillan MSc, PGCert, Prof Ed, RGNAilsa McMillan is a senior lecturer in nursing within the Division of Nursing at Queen Margaret University. Her interests include neuroscience, rehabilitation, interdisciplinary practice and leadership while her curiosity is piqued by authenticity and pushing the boundaries of nursing education. Ailsa has been influential in the development of the pre‐registration person‐centred Masters of Nursing curriculum, engaging in collaborative and creative activities to bring this to fruition.

Suzanne Martin PhDSuzanne Martin is Professor of Occupational Therapy and Head of School of Health Sciences at Ulster University. She is a Fellow of the College of Occupational Therapists UK and a panel member for the National Institute for Health Research. She is a trainer and contributor to the Cochrane Library and has served on Office Research Ethics Northern Ireland (ORECNI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Her research focus is on new and emerging technologies within Health and Social Care. Suzanne has successfully led a range of EU and nationally funded research projects to develop new devices and services to support people living with a disability at home.

Tanya McCance1, Brendan McCormack2, Donna Brown1, Cathy Bulley2, Ailsa McMillan2, and Suzanne Martin1

1 Ulster University, Northern Ireland, UK

2 Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Dear reader, welcome to our book on the fundamentals of person‐centred practice. We are delighted to work with you through the chapters of this book to enable you to explore the essence of practice and to enhance your understanding of person‐centredness within a wide variety of healthcare contexts. You might be a student starting out on your professional journey and excited to learn about your discipline; a newly qualified professional grappling with the realities of practice; an established practitioner or healthcare worker with many years of experience wanting to reaffirm your passion and commitment to trying to make a difference; or a leader aiming to harness a shared vision for your team or organisation that transcends day‐to‐day professional differences. Whilst we have framed this book in the context of the fundamentals of practice, we believe it has something to offer everyone, regardless of your healthcare discipline or where you might be on your career pathway. But why bother, you might ask, as person‐centredness in healthcare has been a focus for many years and is now firmly embedded in the language of healthcare. However, it is our contention that despite a continuous focus on developing healthcare services and practices that place the person at the centre of decision making, the reality and rhetoric of practice are sometimes difficult to dissect!