Scenario 3 Paul is a midwife manager working on a very busy postnatal ward. The ward is very short staffed and he feels that resources are overstretched resulting in midwives cutting corners, deteriorating standards of record keeping and women being sent home too early due to pressure on beds. Paul has reported this to his line manager but has been told that in the current economic climate there is nothing that can be done. Paul informs his line manager that he is planning to go to the media to express his concerns about care in the unit if conditions do not improve. On the next shift Paul refuses to take any more women and babies from the labour ward as he feels the ward is too busy and short staffed. Introduction In certain circumstances we are called to account for our actions or failures to act in a moral, legal or completely neutral capacity (Dooley et al, 2005). Accountability is fundamental for the protection of the public and individuals under the care of midwives. The term accountability is often misunderstood in practice. It is essential that all midwives understand what the term accountability means as it is the means by which the law imposes standards and boundaries on professional practice. The authorities that hold midwives to account can demand they justify their acts and omissions at any time throughout their career. Accountability also encompasses midwives competence and integrity. “To be accountable is to be answerable for your acts and omissions” (Griffith, 2011). Main Body Accountability is the means by which these errors don’t go unpunished and that the victims of these errors have the option of redress. The main purpose of holding midwives to account for their actions is to ensure that the expectant... ... middle of paper ... ...Legal Aspects of Midwifery, 3rd Edition, London : Butterworth Heinemann. Dooley, D., and McCarthy, J. (2005) Nursing Ethics: Irish Cases and Concerns, Dublin: Gill and MacMillan. Frith, L. And Draper, H. (2004) Ethics and Midwifery: Issues in Contemporary Practice, 2nd Edition, London: Book for Midwives. Griffith, R. (2011) Understanding Accountability in Midwifery Practice: Key Concepts. In: British Journal of Midwifery. 19(5). Pp.327-328 Jones, S. (2000) Ethics in Midwifery, 2nd Edition, London: Mosby Tilley, S., and Watson, R. (2008) Accountability in Nursing and Midwifery, 2nd Edition. [online] available : http://0-site.ebrary.com.dkitlibs.dkit.ie/libs/dkitlib/docDetail.action?docID=10236614&p00=legal%20issues%20midwifery [accessed 10 February 2012]. Van Dokkum, N. (2005) Nursing Law for Irish Students, 2nd Edition, Dublin : Gill and MacMillan.
Monaliza, K. R. (2014). Registered Nurses" Experiences of Ethical and Human Rights Issues in Nursing Practice: Frequency and Handling,. Baba Farid University Nursing Journal, 15-22.
Hall, E., Brinchmann, B., & Aagaard, H. (2012). The challenge of integrating justice and care in neonatal nursing. Nursing Ethics, 19(1), 80-90. doi:10.1177/0969733011412101
NMC, 2010. The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. [online] Available at: [Accessed 13 November 2013]
Staunton, P., & Chiarella, M. (2012). Law for nurses and midwives (7th ed.): Elsevier Australia.
Barnett, Wilson J.(1986). Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing. Journal of Medical Ethics. Retrieved on 12th July 2010 from
(9) United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting. (UKCC) (1992). Primary Health Care, Code of professional conduct for the nurse, midwife and health visitor. London: UKCC.8 (2)
...ort her actions, then Jack must do so as he is too responsible for making this situation known to the appropriate people. However, one must acknowledge how difficult this may be for Jack due to the long-standing relationship he has with Linda. It should also be apparent now that Linda’s actions are unjustifiable. She is not only acting unprofessionally and unethically by not delivering the medication but she is committing an illegal offence by falsifying records and stealing from the ward. To conclude, it is important to remember that the Department of Health and Children (2008) acknowledge that healthcare has originated in a world which is not flawless and that as humans, errors are possible. However, members of the healthcare system must try and prevent these errors from occurring where possible to ensure a high standard of care which is owed to the service users.
NMC, 2008. The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. [online] Available at: [Accessed 13 November 2013].
Q1: Nursing and Midwifery council of NSW (NMC) manages complaints that may constitute unsatisfactory professional conduct via the conduct pathway. According to NSW legislation (2010), Health Practitioner Regulation Law, Section 139 B, One of the definitions of “unsatisfactory professional conduct” is a “conduct significantly below reasonable standards”. Therefore, a practitioner, whose demonstrated skills, judgement or knowledge is significantly below one’s expected level of training or experience, is determined to have unsatisfactory professional conduct. In the case study CONYARD (2015), the respondent has registered as a nurse from 1989; she has extensive experience in both pathology and general ward. She was also the “nurse in charge” since
Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2014). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing (4th ed.). Stephan Helbra.
Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2014). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing (4th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Cragin, L. (2004). The theoretical basis for nurse-midwifery practice in the United States: A critical analysis of three theories. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.uta.edu/science/article/pii/S1526952304002156
There is a great importance and focus in modelling a contemporary nurse. The framework for improving this focus is accountability with three main areas: professional, ethical, legal. They all cross over and interlink with each other in many of the topics that are raised within the profession. The approach of the framework were inevitable to reduces to blame and defensive nursing attitude. This attitude can lead to nurses believing accountability is the same as blaming a professional however it is conversely nurses making decisions for individuals and engaging to improve better health outcomes. The topic around this contemporary approach is confidentiality and broken into the principles of the approach.
Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. (2013). Ethics and issues in contemporary nursing. Cengage Learning.
Nursing and midwifery council (2008) The Code: standard of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery council