Nursing is currently in a state of flux as a result of new regulations affecting the healthcare system and nursing. However, despite all these changes the patient remains the focal point of our nursing activities.

The cornerstone of patient care at the St Bernhard Hospital is the Christian concept of humanity, based on the message of the gospels and bearing witness of love to the sick and needy. The holistic approach and the principles for action that stem from it are set out in the mission statement of the St. Francis Foundation and in our own mission statement.

Against a backdrop of shorter and shorter hospitalisation times we see nursing and nursing activities as a dynamic, active process characterised by: 

• constant reflection and appropriate modification of our actions
  

• specialist learning, expertise and the correct application of our knowledge

• perception and sensitivity 
  

• inclusion of ethical values and ethical actions

New impulses from nursing science and nursing research are tools we use for further professional development. The central question of what nursing care is and how it can be described forms the focus of our efforts.

In our activities we are guided by the model of nursing care developed by Nancy Roper. The main aim of our nursing provision is the rapid restoration of independence and autonomy in our patients.