Code of Ethics
1. Nurses value quality nursing care for all people.
Valuing quality nursing care involves nurses accepting accountability for the standard of nursing care they provide, helping to raise the standard of nursing care, and taking action when they consider, on reasonable grounds, the standard of nursing care to be unacceptable. This includes a responsibility to question and report what they consider, on reasonable grounds, to be unethical behaviour and treatment.
2. Nurses value respect and kindness for self and others.
Valuing respect for self and others encompasses valuing the moral worth and dignity of oneself and others. It includes respecting the individual ethical values people might have in the context of health care. Kindness is the demonstration of simple acts of gentleness, consideration and care. The practise of kindness as a committed and everyday approach to care reduces the power imbalance between a person requiring or receiving care and a nurse, by placing the nurse at the person’s service, which is the appropriate relationship.
3. Nurses value the diversity of people.
Valuing the diversity of people requires nurses to appreciate how different cultural backgrounds and languages may influence both the provision and receipt of nursing and health care.
4. Nurses value access to quality nursing and health care for all people.
Valuing nursing and health care for all people requires nurses to uphold the principles and standards of the right to nursing and health care as measured by the availability, accessibility, acceptability, quality and safety of nursing and health care services. Specifically, access refers to the extent to which a person or community can obtain health care services. This includes knowledge of when it is appropriate to seek health care, the ability to travel to and the means to pay for health care. Access does not mean the ability to provide all services imaginable for everyone, but rather the
Valuing quality nursing care involves nurses accepting accountability for the standard of nursing care they provide, helping to raise the standard of nursing care, and taking action when they consider, on reasonable grounds, the standard of nursing care to be unacceptable. This includes a responsibility to question and report what they consider, on reasonable grounds, to be unethical behaviour and treatment.
2. Nurses value respect and kindness for self and others.
Valuing respect for self and others encompasses valuing the moral worth and dignity of oneself and others. It includes respecting the individual ethical values people might have in the context of health care. Kindness is the demonstration of simple acts of gentleness, consideration and care. The practise of kindness as a committed and everyday approach to care reduces the power imbalance between a person requiring or receiving care and a nurse, by placing the nurse at the person’s service, which is the appropriate relationship.
3. Nurses value the diversity of people.
Valuing the diversity of people requires nurses to appreciate how different cultural backgrounds and languages may influence both the provision and receipt of nursing and health care.
4. Nurses value access to quality nursing and health care for all people.
Valuing nursing and health care for all people requires nurses to uphold the principles and standards of the right to nursing and health care as measured by the availability, accessibility, acceptability, quality and safety of nursing and health care services. Specifically, access refers to the extent to which a person or community can obtain health care services. This includes knowledge of when it is appropriate to seek health care, the ability to travel to and the means to pay for health care. Access does not mean the ability to provide all services imaginable for everyone, but rather the