Strategies to ensure that all patients have a personalised nursing care plan

Against the backdrop of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) (2019)State of Care report, which highlighted the importance of providing person-centred and accessible care, this article examines the nurse's role in ensuring that all patients have a care plan tailored to their personal needs.

During any hospital inspection, CQC auditors seek assurances that all patients experience care or treatment that is individually tailored and that meets their needs and preferences. At the heart of this requirement is the care plan, and fundamental to this is the robustness of the nursing assessment. This is crucial for planning and delivering nursing care. A holistic assessment generates the information nurses need in partnership with the patient and/or family to plan care delivery. All nurses need to acquire the clinical acumen to enable them to interpret assessment data and formulate the evidence-based interventions necessary to alleviate or modify the patient's problems.