ENGLAND'S top nurse came to Kendal yesterday to set the ball rolling for better nursing and midwifery.

Some 200 staff from the Bay's hospitals met the country's chief nurse, Dame Christine Beasley, as she launched the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust’s new Nursing and Midwifery Strategy.

The new strategy was developed with a huge amount of input from nursing and midwifery staff and widely discussed with patients, their families and the public.

Its aim is to ensure that fundamental standards of care and practice are consistently high in Kendal's Westmorland General Hospital, Furness General Hospital in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe and Ulverston Community Health Centre.

It starts with a Nursing and Midwifery pledge which they all agree with: “Nurses, Midwives and Support workers will care with kindness and compassion. We will ensure that our patients and communities receive local, safe and personal care of a standard that exceeds expectations. Each and every one of us will demonstrate our commitment by combining the essence of Nursing and Midwifery with the opportunities brought by groundbreaking technology and innovation.“ There are six themes identified in the strategy that set out the principles by which care will be provided: Caring with kindness and compassion Safe care in clean and comfortable environments Listening to patients and improving the way we work Confident, ambitious and inspirational leaders Working with partners for the benefit of our patients A questioning and analytical nursing and midwifery workforce Jackie Holt, Director of Nursing and Modernisation, UHMBT, said: “Our strategy was built in line with the Trust vision - the needs of our patients will drive everything we do. We listened carefully to feedback from our patients and staff and we have set out our ambitions for the future which will put our hospitals best in class when judged by our patients and the communities we serve.

“We are at an exciting time. I see this strategy as the framework which our Nurses and Midwives will build upon to ensure that our hospitals continue to be the first choice for patients in Morecambe Bay. I have every confidence that our Nurses and Midwives will demonstrate strong leadership and earn rightful recognition for what they do. They should stand with their heads held high, knowing the care and services they provide match and will exceed the best in the country.”

Jane Cummings, Executive Director for Performance, Nursing and Quality at the North West Strategic Health Authority, said: “There is nothing that happens in a person’s life that nurses don’t touch at some point – from birth to death. We’re the largest workforce in the NHS, we have a fantastic range of experience and we can really make a difference. The strategy is great, well done Morecambe Bay.”