Caring together: clinical supervision

Clinical supervision is an effective learning and development tool which nurses, and other healthcare professionals, can use to promote and maintain high standards of patient care. This Unit explains the concept behind clinical supervision and looks at the work carried out nationally to develop its use in practice. Clinical supervision has been shown to offer many benefits for the individual practitioner, the supervisor and the organisation and these are discussed in detail; as are the various methods and models which can be employed to implement clinical supervision. A knowledge of these models and the possible outcomes they can elicit for the individual is important, because it will allow the participants to tailor the process for their own special needs. Lastly, the essential element of evaluating the process is discussed. This is vital for supporting evidence-based practice in health care and providing positive outcomes for patient care.