The return of autonomy in nursing – A way forward

Abstract

The Mid Staffordshire scandal is a salutary lesson that highlights unacceptable standards of poor care of patients by medical and nursing practitioners. The Francis report (2013) made 290 recommendations and a legal duty to enforce a duty of openness and transparencies has been prioritised. Fischer and Ferlie (2013) argue that rules-based regulation eroded values-based self-regulation, producing professional defensiveness and contradictions that undermine, rather than support, good patient care. The role of managers and clinical leaders will be crucial in achieving positive changes in practice; however, the return of autonomy to the practitioners remains central to re-establishing both public and professional confidence.