Evaluation of the Royal College of Nursing’s ‘Dignity: at the heart of everything we do’ campaign: exploring challenges and enablers

Abstract

Dignity in care has become a key policy, practice and political priority. This development has become more pressing as media, anecdotal and research reports have highlighted dignity deficits in care. In response to such reports and to concerns of the membership and general public, the Royal College of Nursing initiated a high-profile campaign (Dignity: at the heart of everything we do) involving engagement with stakeholders, a survey of members and the development and dissemination of educational and practice development materials. This article details findings from part of the evaluation of the Royal College of Nursing dignity campaign, which used a qualitative case study design across seven UK sites. The study used interviews with 51 staff members, direct observation of the physical care environment and document analysis, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The article focuses on two areas: enablers (staff receptivity and creativity; organisational support and leadership; and campaign educational materials) and challenges (time constraints; and staff attitudes and insight).