It is exciting to see the values of the 6Cs becoming further embedded across healthcare and it’s not just nurses but other clinicians and healthcare professions getting involved.

The event we held recently, The 6Cs are for Everyone, with the Clinical Leaders Network (CLN) brought together more than 350 people – from both clinical and non-clinical settings.

It is very encouraging to see others taking an interest by embracing the 6Cs to influence change and culture, showing the reach and the exciting potential of the 6Cs. Indeed, you’ll find examples of cases at the 6Cs Live! Communication Hub of where carers in the charity sector, including hospices and care homes are bringing the values to life.

The 6Cs continue to find new supporters and advocates as part of a new social movement and the adoption of the values outside of nursing, midwifery and health care assistants feels like a natural evolution, which is no surprise. People relate to the 6Cs because they are real and universal.

Whether a clinician or a non-clinician, we are all in the business of care, and compassion is central and fundamental to the care we deliver. People quite rightly expect care to be right for them, at every stage of their treatment. For example, the modern world of healthcare is seeing a growing use of multidisciplinary partnerships providing integrated care. Consequently, patients expect treatment to be delivered in a consistent way across the different people they have contact with in the team looking after them – from the receptionist to the clinician – and teams work better when based on the same values and behaviours.

The 6Cs are for everyone, they apply at every point in the chain of delivering healthcare services. Commissioners, for example, look at outcomes, costs and plans for the future, and are using the 6Cs as a model to plan, benchmark and review services.

So, I am encouraged by the growing number of examples of organisations embracing the 6Cs across practice areas and disciplines. A few examples are:

• The Spire Gatwick Park Hospital set up a ‘strategy pioneer’ in each department, clinical and non-clinical, to ensure that the 6Cs are being translated into practice.
• The 6Cs are a key feature of the East Kent Hospitals University Trust’s quality strategy. The Trust’s strategy is to embed its shared purposes, values and the 6Cs with their linked competencies into everyday working life for all staff, not only clinical nursing and midwifery staff.
• 5 Boroughs Partnership in Warrington rolled out a ‘Culture of Care’ strategy across the hospital, based around the 6Cs.
• North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has a 6Cs Team which has been put in place to embed Compassion in Practice throughout the Trust ensuring that the values of the 6Cs are reflected and aspired to all day, every day by every member of staff.
• The Hospital Caterers Association has looked at how the 6Cs apply to its members and has put them on the homepage of its website.

Join the conversation at the ‘6Cs are for everyone’ community and share examples of how people are implementing and evolving the 6Cs for everyone. It is great to learn about how people, like those I have mentioned, are bringing 6Cs to life in their workplace, and we want to hear your inspirational stories.

The Story of the Month competition, which we have been running for over a year has a new title – 6Cs in Action: Celebrating Success. The name might have changed, but the call-to-action remains the same and I would encourage individuals, teams and organisations to nominate examples to the judging panel.

The 6Cs are what you make them, and it is only thanks to the daily commitment of so many enthusiastic and energetic individuals that patients are benefiting from them.

• You can keep in touch and join the conversation via Twitter by following @6Cslive.