Abstract
At the time of writing, UK nurses are responding to the screening of the American television series Nurse Jackie. Reviews are polarized, with some arguing that: ‘Jackie is no advert for nursing. She is a drugs misuser, steals from patients, forges documents, challenges doctors and has inappropriate sexual relationships’. 1 Another view is that the series is ‘entertaining and shows empathy and real caring of patients and their families. Nurse Jackie Peyton depicts professional autonomy when she challenges medical staff and is treated as an equal by the medical director, whom she also befriends. This nurse is an example to us all.’ This debate takes place in the UK where there is ongoing media attention to unethical practices and ‘shocking care’ in UK health care. Recent work in the UK on evaluating dignity in care supported the view that there is also much innovative and ethical practice. Conversations I have had recently with practitioners suggest that our views of ethical and unethical practices, individuals and organizations should not be oversimplified. These suggest that there may be different perspectives on the quality of patient care, even within the same family, and this may be related to different expectations and understanding of the health service.