The Nursing and Midwifery Council has launched a film featuring the aspirations of nursing associates.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has launched a new film featuring trainee nursing associates and registered nurses sharing their hopes for the future and how they see the nursing associate role contributing to better patient care.
According to Health Education England (HEE), the new role was created to bridge the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses. Nursing associates will be working in care homes, hospitals, and a range of different health and social care settings across England from January 2019.
Coming to the end of their training at 35 pilot sites, Nursing associates will be regulated by the NMC and the first trainees will qualify and join the register in 2019.
‘I felt I wanted to do more’.
Amy Fletcher, a trainee nursing associate at Solihull Community Services, part of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “While I enjoyed my role as a healthcare assistant [support worker] in the community, I felt that I wanted to do more. I wanted more experience and I wanted more knowledge to help the patients I was seeing.”
“Nurses in the community have been extremely welcoming as they understand where the role is going to fit into the wider team. They know we’re there to help them and ultimately help the patient.”
Nursing associate is a stand-alone role in its own right and will also provide a progression route into graduate-level nursing.
‘Their enthusiasm is inspirational’.
Geraldine Walters, Director of Education, Policy and Standards at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said: “The enthusiasm and hard work of trainee nursing associates and registered nurses in the pilot programmes is inspirational, and we’re excited to welcome the first nursing associates on to the register in January.
“We’re delighted with the way we have been able to work with so many professionals and organisations to make sure the standards we set will enable the nursing associates to deliver first class care to patients and develop the existing workforce.
“As we move towards opening the register in January 2019, we’ll continue to work with our partners to ensure that the role is properly understood.”