By Sue Hill | April 3, 2025
Last Updated on May 8, 2025
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) seeks to demonstrate that nurses, in whatever capacity, ensure they reflect on the care they give. Resilience-based clinical supervision (RBCS) Project Manager and Facilitator at the Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS), Sue Hill, explores RBCS in social care.
NMC, in its April 2024 publication, Supporting Information for Reflection in Nursing and Midwifery Practice, states, ‘Reflection is a critical and necessary element of nursing and midwifery practice and is essential to continuous learning and improvement of practice that benefits those we care for.’
Clinical supervision is one way that nurses can actively and collectively reflect on the work they do and the care they provide. FoNS is delighted to be actively supporting the development of social care nurses in their understanding and practice of clinical supervision.
For over a year, FoNS has been offering a fully funded programme of RBCS. It was commissioned by Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Social Care, with the funding coming from NHS England. On commencement of the programme, Deborah Sturdy said, ‘This is a really important opportunity for colleagues across social care to benefit from a supportive approach to supervision.’
In the last year, we have facilitated 31 RBCS cohorts for registered nurses working in social care. In each cohort, we have up to eight participants and it is mainly run online. One care home had a group of staff participate in a face-to-face two-day programme, which was well received and enjoyed by all. We can offer this in the future but need 8-10 participants.
Most nurses who completed the programme were adult nurses but we also had mental health, learning disabilities and some children’s nurses. A small number of registered nursing associates have also undertaken the programme. A recent participant commented, ‘Whether you’re a frontline caregiver, a manager or part of a wider healthcare organisation, RBCS will help you build resilience, reflect deeply and, ultimately, improve both personal and patient outcomes.’
How does the RBCS programme work?
The RBCS programme offers insight into how to facilitate good supervision and be an active participant in the process. It helps staff understand that they do not need to ‘fix’ the issues of others but provides a space for a reflective and supportive discussion where people can decide for themselves how to manage issues they may be experiencing. RBCS supports individuals to reflect on their practice to enhance their relationships with colleagues and the people they care for.
The RBCS is a 13-hour programme delivered across five online sessions and develops communication skills, which will support the development of long-term relationships with colleagues, residents and others in the workplace. Understanding how to actively listen and not rush into giving advice are valuable lessons learned during these sessions.
Zebbie Chilink, a Clinical Lead Nurse in Nottingham and a recent participant, said, ‘I now acknowledge that I do not have solutions to people’s problems, but rather stay curious a bit longer and let people find their own answers.’ You can read Zebbie’s full story here.
As a social care nurse, there is the opportunity to link with others from across England in small online cohorts and consider the unique roles undertaken within social care, as well as share examples of practice. Participants have noted it is refreshing to have the chance to talk about how social care nurses work and the values experienced in mixed groups. They have found that many have the same issues and the opportunities to talk about this and recognise it has been useful.
One participant commented, ‘Seeing other nurses on camera from different parts of the country and diversity, all sharing similar experiences in a safe environment, knowing they understand you and do not judge you, was awesome.’ Another participant commented, ‘It is a very interactive programme; I loved that it wasn’t full of PowerPoint but instead was about practising the skills we were learning.’
What makes RBCS unique?
RBCS focuses on co-creating a safe space: developing an environment of trust where participants can share openly and reflect deeply. One recent participant said, ‘I learnt about the value of having a safe space agreement. I had never realised how important it is; I am now using it in a number of meetings.’
RBCS explains about mindfulness and grounding techniques aimed at reducing stress and increasing awareness, so that those involved can feel present in what they are doing. It also encourages participants to check in and really think about how they feel, considering much more than ‘I’m OK’. One person said the most useful part of the programme was ‘the importance of the check-in, as it focuses on the emotions and feelings that people bring to a group. Once recognised, staff can be supported appropriately.’
RBCS encourages a deeper understanding of the emotional systems driving our reactions, so there is knowledge of how we react and why. One participant explained how useful this was as they were ‘using the emotional regulatory systems to understand others and myself’.
Understanding the inner critic is explored, so participants gain insights into how self-criticism can influence responses to stress, enabling them to develop more compassionate and constructive internal dialogues. Compassionate flow is considered with the emphasis on self-compassion, which helps participants extend that kindness to others, enhancing the overall quality of care.
Responding to challenges
Of course, whilst there are many reasons to undertake RBCS, it is not without its challenges. Time is always a pressure and finding time for a group of staff to come together and reflect about their work can be hard. Engaging staff who do not want to engage is also difficult at times. Getting senior teams on board before staff embark on the programme is necessary; utilising the techniques explained on the programme helps address these challenges.
A Community of Practice and a newsletter provide post-programme support and the participants on each cohort often support each other going forward. If the time is invested for staff to attend the programme and introduce the principles and practice of RBCS, it can improve the general wellbeing of staff and residents.
A care home that has been using the principles of RBCS for about a year said, ‘It has made difficult areas, such as clash of personalities, easier to address and is particularly useful to reframe challenges such as unreasonable demands from relatives or commissioners. RBCS has made challenges less stressful to address and staff appreciate that. It is a good coping strategy.’
The programme is free of charge and open to any registered nurse or registered nursing associate working in social care.
For more information, go to www.FoNS.org or email [email protected]. To read NMC’s Supporting Information for Reflection in Nursing and Midwifery Practice, click here.
Sue Hill is Resilience-based clinical supervision Project Manager and Facilitator at the Foundation of Nursing Studies.