Derbyshire partnership success in piloting new nursing role
Heath Education England (HEE) announced on Tuesday, 11th October 2016 that a partnership between healthcare providers and higher education organisations had been successful in its bid to become a ‘test-site’ for putting the new role of Nursing Associate through its paces.
It means that Chesterfield Royal Hospital, Derbyshire Community Health Services, Derbyshire Healthcare and Derby Teaching Hospitals – working with the University of Derby – will lead the way in implementing the new education programme as part of a national pilot for this pioneering route into a nursing career. In the first instance 36 students will be recruited to the training position across the four organisations.
The education and training programme for the role enables them to work within the nursing team at a level which fits between other healthcare support workers and fully qualified nurses. The focus of the role will be to provide hands-on compassionate patient care.
These first students are part of a national cohort of 1,000, and are expected to start their two-year Nursing Associate programme in December 2016.
Lynn Andrews, Director of Nursing & Patient Care at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust comments:-
“We are delighted to be working in partnership as a national test-site. This is an exciting opportunity to give our people the chance to learn and develop front-line nursing skills ‘on the job’. They will strengthen our ward teams and provide safe, high-quality and person-centred care to our patients, through our proud to CARE values of compassion, dignity and respect. To ‘grow your own staff’ through a comprehensive and on-going education programme is the best way to provide support and development, and helps to retain a valuable workforce.”
Carolyn White, Chief Nurse & Director of Quality from Derbyshire Community Services NHS Foundation Trust agrees:-
“This is a pioneering career path and builds on all the options we currently have available that allow progression from the apprenticeship level upwards. As part of this initial pilot, existing staff with care certificates (including health care assistants) will have the opportunity to work towards a Nursing Associate qualification. We are looking forward to being part of this new role’s development and to shape how it will look in future.”
The Government announced its intention to create this new opportunity to work in nursing in 2015, as part of plans to modernise workforce models across the NHS and ensure that the challenge of recruiting much needed nursing staff could be met. A consultation on the proposals was held by the HEE earlier this year, attracting over 1,000 responses from individuals including patients, members of the public and a wide range of professional bodies, trade unions, health care and social care providers and commissioners of healthcare. All these views and opinions have been factored in to the pilot phase, which will be party to on-going review as training progresses.
Cathy Winfield, Director of Nursing at Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says:-
“All our organisations firmly share the view of Health Education England.
“Nursing Associates will augment, supplement and complement qualified nurses, allowing them to use their specialist training to focus on clinical duties and take more of a lead in decisions about patient care. The Nursing Associate pilot offers another route in to nursing and that can only be a positive for patients and the NHS.”
Carolyn Green, Director of Nursing and Patient Experience at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, says:-
“Any opportunities and investment we have to ensure effective family and patient care are very welcome and I am confident that this pilot will bloom in our region. Educational developments and expanding career pathways, whilst evidencing the impact and the adding value to the NHS are core to this development and I am pleased that we have been successful in our joint partnership.”
