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Abstract
The restorative clinical supervision programme has been delivering a cascade model of restorative clinical supervision to over 1800 professionals across the UK. Currently, it is rolling out the programme to 246 health visitors across the West Midlands to enable them to experience the model for themselves and to prepare them to supervise other health visitors in the model. The programme has also been commissioned in other trusts across the UK to reduce burnout, stress and improve compassion satisfaction (the pleasure one derives from doing their job) among a range of professionals. This paper explores how clinical supervision is being delivered and experienced by professionals within different trusts, and shares quantitative data to show how the specific restorative model used which differs from usual clinical supervision has been significant in improving the capacity of professionals to function at their optimum level.
Key words
Health visitor, clinical supervision, staff stress, burnout, restorative supervision
Community Practitioner, 2012; 85(11): 20-23.
Conflict of interest: Projected funded by NHS Midlands and East
Aims of this paper
This paper will describe the restorative model of supervision, which has been rolling out in the West Midlands for over a year and is being delivered in a number of other locations across the UK. Results of the programme will be shared, in addition to their implications for the way in which community professionals use their supervisory space.
Background
What is known about clinical supervision?
There are vast amounts of studies covering the topic of clinical supervision but as is frequently noted, the term itself is often written about as an umbrella term with little clarity around function and purpose (Gonge and Buus, 201 1) and with little empirical evidence of effectiveness. Although clinical supervision is often reported as a good thing, calls for more robust implementation strategies, which use evidencebased models as in other areas of practice are being made (Buus and Gonge, 2009; Vlachou et al, 201 1; Wallbank, 201 1). The difficulty may be in finding models with a robust evidence base.
Clinical supervision has been identified as able to increase nurses' sensitivity towards themselves and the families they care for (Jones, 2006). It has been noted that where nurses attend clinical supervision they have an increased level of satisfaction...