Duty of care and political expectations. Part 4: standards as a political promise.

The last article was concerned to identify connections that exist between principles elucidated at common law that affect the behaviour of nurses - and the exposition of principles contained in the literature produced by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This was in order to identify a level of expectation directed at nurse's practice in terms of health care provided. Although there was not a great difference, and clarity was seen in both areas, the issue of political expectation was introduced.