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Nursing Associates will be able to join the Nursing and Midwifery Council register later this month.
A guide to Nursing Associates, a new regulated generic nursing role which has been designed to bridge the gap between health and care assistants and registered nurses, has been published by NHS Employers.
The 38-page guide provides advice and support for employers exploring this new role within their organisations. It covers both development and deployment, and contains shared learning examples.
The role has been designed to support registered nurses in the delivery of care rather than replacing them. The guide has been designed to help employers decide if a nursing associate is appropriate for a vacancy.
NHS Improvement highlights the primary differences between the roles with a registered nurse required to assess, plan care and evaluate a patients care needs alongside providing leadership.
From Monday 28 January, newly-qualified nursing associates will be able to join the nursing associate register, held by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
The role is yet to be introduced outside of England.
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: “The Nursing Associate role needs national support and leadership to succeed.
“Future workforce plans outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan include new roles, such as the Nursing Associate role, as part of our teams.
“The guide will help organisations think how to develop and deploy the role across the NHS and wider.”
