A study into nurses' awareness of the National Service Frameworks

This study sought to demonstrate nurses' awareness of the National Service Frameworks (NSFs), which began in 1999, and are an important part of the Government's modernization strategy for the NHS. A questionnaire was sent, in 2002, to a systematic random sample of 228 nurses. The results were analysed for descriptive and comparative statistics using the computer software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), and the nurses questioned showed a low to moderate level of awareness. A quarter of nurses had not heard of the NSFs before receiving the questionnaire, and of those who had, only half had tried to find out more information. Despite high readership of nursing journals and good internet use, nurses did not think it was their responsibility to use such sources to find out about the NSFs, considering rather that management should provide study days and workplace teaching. While this outlook may be at odds with the concepts of lifelong learning and professional responsibilities as outlined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, it is suggested that formal mechanisms of dissemination of reforms need to be implemented if nurses are to participate fully in them.