At present, a nurse is considered a member of a profession, therefore they are held legally responsible and could be removed from the professional register for any conduct not professional (Tilley and Watson, 2008). . Responsibility in nursing practice comes from within the practice itself. Nurses are expected to accept responsibility and accountability when caring for patients, delegating tasks to staff, teaching, researching and ensuring their own learning and development. Adaptability, problem-solving skills, and confidence lead to a sense of responsibility in nurses, which will lead to better patient outcomes (Ruhs, 2013). A review of the literature on Krautscheid indicates that 19 of the cited articles examined 4 main areas of accountability, namely nurses' responsibility for their lifelong learning, upholding the standards of the profession through good nursing practices, quality of patient care and their omissions. The UK Nursing Midwifery Council describes good nursing practice as putting service users first and providing safe and effective care whilst promoting trust through professionalism (Nursing Midwifery Council, 2015) . If a nurse or state is unsure of their practice or is unable to control the outcomes of their nursing practice or cannot fully commit to being accountable, they demonstrate a lack of accountability in their practice.