UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery Annual Report 2020

Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC

Dr Aine Horgan leads a research team to evaluate Peer Group Clinical Supervision for Nurses in Cork and Kerry funded by the NMPDU

Peer group clinical supervision (PGCS) is a form of Clinical Supervision whereby two or more practitioners engage in a supervision or consultation process to improve their professional practice. It is a process of supporting healthcare professionals to develop their practice through regular discussion with experienced and knowledgeable colleagues. In response to the increasing demands for quality and safe healthcare outcomes, the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit (NMPDU) for Cork and Kerry recognised the potential for Clinical Supervision to support nurses in clinical practice. In September 2018, the NMPDU embarked on a pilot project to evaluate the effectiveness of a supervisor led PGCS programme, a form of group Clinical Supervision, for nurses in the region. The

evaluation was led by Dr Aine Horgan and a team of researchers in the SoNM. The mixed methods study was published in a report in December 2020. Project Team: University College Cork: Dr Aine Horgan, Dr Mohamad M Saab, Dr Vera McCarthy, Dr Caroline Kilty, Mr John Goodwin, Dr Elaine Meehan, NMPDU: Ms Sinead Connaire, Ms Anne Walsh, Ms Carmel Buckley, Dr James O Mahony, Ms Kerry McAuliffe Recommended citation: Horgan A, Meehan E, McCarthy V, Kilty C, Goodwin J, Connaire S, Walsh A, Buckley C, O’Mahony J, McAuliffe K, Saab MM. (2020) Report on the Evaluation of the implementation of Peer Group Clinical Supervision for Nurses in the HSE South (Cork and Kerry) . Cork: University College Cork.

Overall, there were multiple perceived benefits for staff that attended the sessions, including increases in confidence, improvements in morale, reductions in stress, and overall feelings of empowerment. The main challenges associated with the PGCS sessions centred on staffing, specifically difficulties releasing staff from their clinical roles to attend the sessions, and the lack of cover for the sessions. The issue of time was frequently raised. The recommendations in this report are primarily based on the findings of the qualitative and quantitative studies, while also drawing upon existing literature. They are presented under five categories: (1) Awareness; (2) Staffing and Scheduling; (3) Clinical Supervisors; (4) Supervisees; (5) Evaluation.

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