OUR AIMS

• Address the gap between theory and practice for person centred care, nurse education and addressing societal injustice.

• Welcome and embrace the principles and practices of many disciplines inside and outside of current connections and working to develop multi professional ways of knowing and working to improve health and wellbeing.

• Build on the national policies and programmes informing creative health and social prescribing, the educational approaches informing health humanities and art pedagogy, and the processes for partnership in and co production of health.

• Acknowledge and make visible the diverse discourses informing how health is informed and formed by individual expertise and experiences, community engagement and societal norms. 

• Develop conceptual ideas, identify trends and innovations, and provide strategic insights into the future function of nursing and the form nursing will take in 21st century care. 

• Recognise and resist the potential depersonalisation of nursing practice in the context of evolution of non human approaches,  such as the impact of artificial intelligence, virtual and automated nursing care, and augmented and virtual nursing education.

• Develop art of nursing competencies, capacity, capabilities and the creativity and imagination necessary to improve the quality of care and health outcomes and parallel the digital competencies and non human health literacy skills.  Focus on the aspects less possible without human connection eg; emotional intelligence, compassion and sympathetic presence.

• Build on the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Conduct and key aspects of nursing including but not limited to kindness, respectfulness and compassion.

• Build on the SIGMA global nursing leadership competencies to provide guidance on how the arts and humanities can be part of competency development and curriculum content in nurse education. 

• Support anti racist approaches to transform structural violence within health systems, challenge beliefs and behaviours to address institutional racism, patient harm and professional development.  

• Contribute to the NHSE 10 Year Plan, Long Term Workforce Strategy and Neighbourhood Health Service Development 

THE BREATH OF OUR APPROACH

The Ottawa Charter Framework Applied to the Art of Nursing

1. Building Healthy Public Policy

• Role of Nursing Art in Policy Advocacy: Nurses, equipped with a deep understanding of patient narratives, advocate for policies that address inequities. This advocacy is rooted in the art of nursing, which enables empathy-driven policymaking.

• Comparing Human Advocacy to Artificial Intelligence: While AI can process vast data for policy suggestions, it lacks the nuanced understanding of human suffering and resilience. AI misses the "art" that only human interaction can bring, which is vital in shaping equitable health policies.

2. Creating Supportive Environments

• Nursing’s Role in Building Supportive Systems: The art of nursing is essential in creating environments that support healing, not merely curing. By building trust and psychological safety, nurses encourage patient empowerment and resilience.

• Example of Gender Equity in Nursing Leadership: Through understanding and responding to the emotional dimensions of patient and staff experience, nursing leaders can foster environments that are sensitive to gender issues, promoting equitable access to opportunities and support systems in the workplace.

3. Strengthening Community Action

• Community Empowerment through Nursing Practice: Nurses who engage in the art of nursing develop skills in community engagement, understanding cultural sensitivities, and promoting inclusivity. This way, nurses empower communities to take ownership of their health.

• Example of Social Justice: The art of nursing enables practitioners to recognize and address health disparities, working directly with underserved populations to facilitate access to resources, education, and advocacy. Unlike AI, which is driven by algorithms, the art of nursing relies on building trust and understanding cultural contexts.

4. Developing Personal Skills

Compassion and Emotional Intelligence in Nursing: Developing personal skills like empathy, communication, and cultural competence is central to the art of nursing. These skills, as emphasized by Chinn, shape nurses into adaptive, responsive caregivers.

• Artificial Intelligence vs. Human Connection: While AI can offer predictive analytics, it cannot replace the depth of a human connection that arises from shared experience and understanding—qualities essential for building the therapeutic relationships foundational to nursing practice.

1. Reorienting Health Services

• Holistic Patient Care through the Art of Nursing: The art of nursing encourages a holistic approach, focusing on physical, emotional, and social well-being rather than treating symptoms in isolation. Nurses using an aesthetic approach to care can recognize and respond to unspoken needs.

• Advancing Political Savvy Skills in Nursing: The art of nursing supports the development of political savvy by encouraging nurses to understand and navigate the healthcare system's socio-political landscape. This skill is vital for advocating change and influencing health policies.