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Nursing Associates – a new member of the multi-disciplinary workforce

For all of us this is a time of great change with many challenges. Those challenges are significant as ongoing demand on our services continues to change in both volume and shape across health and social care.

We witness severe pressures throughout the system on a daily basis, with nursing, midwifery and care staff placed frequently at the front, middle and back end of those pressures. As Chief Nursing Officer for England I am privileged to personally witness examples across the country where colleagues in different roles and organisations continuously demonstrate inspiring skill, compassion and resilience in highly pressured circumstances.

It can often seem that things never stand still long enough without more change coming along; and with this in mind we must be flexible and think differently about how we work. It requires significant leadership by all to shape this new system. However, I would also say that this is where our opportunity lies and now is the time to re-assess what we do, without abandoning what we have already achieved.

One of those opportunities was announced this week by Health Education England, the pilot of a new role called the Nursing Associate. This role will be a key part of the multi-disciplinary workforce in helping to meet the needs of a changing population as set out within the Five Year Forward View.

I am sure that we all agree of the need to build an adaptable contemporary workforce to respond to the changing world as a profession, as other services and industries such as military and police colleagues have successfully done. Additionally as public sector organisations we have a duty to use our resources wisely while ensuring that careers remain attractive and accessible to all.

The Nursing Associate role is part of developing this contemporary workforce and will work under the direction of a fully qualified Registered Nurse (RN). The Nursing Associate is not a RN but will undertake some of the duties that a RN currently undertakes, enabling the RN to spend more time on the assessment and care associated with both complex needs and advances in treatments.

Therefore, the Nursing Associate will have the training and skills to bridge the gap between what Health Care Assistant colleagues routinely do and the practice that is undertaken by a RN. The role is designed to enhance the quality of personalised care, strengthening the support available to registered nursing staff and reducing the reliance and dependency on RNs to undertake elements of care that others can be trained to understand and do.

The Nursing Associate role has additional benefits. Firstly, it widens the access to careers in nursing and potentially for other health professions. Equally, for those who wish to remain as a Nursing Associate the recognised breadth of the training not only provides national recognition and meaningful career development but transferability of skills within different settings such as community and primary care, mental health or social care.

For employers and clinical leaders, this will also offer a much welcomed further option of how to safely align the right staff with the right skills to match patient need, dependency and the environment of care. By using appropriate tools and frameworks that support decisions about safe staffing, employers will have increased options about how to manage resources appropriately in accordance with clear, professional and evidenced based guidance.

Our ability as a profession to adapt and innovate is critical to achieving high-quality care in the right place and at the right time. By modernising, we can shape a workforce that is fit for purpose for the next decade and beyond and positively demonstrate good outcomes, experience and compassionate care for those who need our support. These are just some of the key elements in our new framework for nursing, midwifery and care staff, Leading Change, Adding Value.

I wish the first cohort of Nursing Associates all the very best and look forward to visiting some of the pilot sites myself to see how they develop and the value that these new roles can bring to the delivery of care.

Jane Cummings

Professor Jane Cummings is the Chief Nursing Officer for England and Executive Director at NHS England.

Jane specialised in emergency care and has held a wide variety of roles across the NHS including Director of Commissioning, Director of Nursing and Deputy Chief Executive.

In February 2004, she became the national lead for emergency care agreeing and implementing the 98% operational standard. She has also worked as the nursing advisor for emergency care. In January 2005, she was appointed as the National Implementation Director for ‘Choice’ and ‘Choose and Book’.

Jane moved to NHS North West in November 2007 where she held executive responsibility for the professional leadership of nursing, quality, performance as well as QIPP, commissioning and for a time Deputy Chief Executive Officer. In October 2011, she was appointed to the role of Chief Nurse for the North of England SHA Cluster.

She was appointed as Chief Nursing Officer for England in March 2012 and started full time in June 2012. Jane is the professional lead for all nurses and midwives in England (with the exception of public health) and published the ‘6Cs’ and ‘Compassion in Practice’ in December 2012, followed by publishing the ‘Leading Change, Adding Value’ framework in May 2016.

Jane has executive oversight of maternity, patient experience, learning disability and, in January 2016, became executive lead for Patient and Public Participation.

She was awarded Doctorates by Edge Hill University and by Bucks New University, and she is a visiting professor at Kingston University and St George’s University, London.

She is also Director and trustee for Macmillan Cancer Support and a clinical Ambassador for the Over the Wall Children’s Charity where she volunteers as a nurse providing care for children affected by serious illnesses.

Follow Jane on Twitter: @JaneMCummings.

78 comments

  1. Julie Owen says:

    I qualified as an SEN in 1981. I am now 57 and looking to return to nursing. I am currently doing a phlebotomy course and once I have the required certification will be looking for work within a GP practice or hospital. How do i update my nursing experience? I want to be part of nhs again. Any help with this would be gratefully received.

  2. Angela Cole says:

    I qualified as an Associate Practitioner in 2010. I feel quite confused about where my role will now sit within the banding scale. I would like to also know if there are plans for a pathway for APs to become a Nursing Associate or are we again capped in our career pathway?

  3. Anonymous says:

    A.ps are not recognised they are not appreciated yet they have skills some of the registered nurse does not always have. Team work for the best care of the patient is meant to be foremost in the NHS but it seems to be A I am better then u system. An Ap is not always allowed to use a skill they trained in yet a student nurse who in first year without no training can. My care has always been and will always be what is best for the patient unfortunately my band 4 has made me lose faith due to lack of support or acknowledgement since I qualified so I am now leaving Nhs and job I loved. My advice think twice

  4. Jenny says:

    I am a band 4 I qualified last year. I have found it a very hard role to be recognised in i trained on a surgucal ward and unfortunately the head of nursing decided she disnt want a band 4 on the ward even though the adjourning ward had one i then apent a year going to different wards i am now on a different ward and find some nurses don’t recognise a band 4 and a lot of my skills are not being used it was said the band 4s would have their own pins I find this a good idea but as eager as I was to do my training I found it very hard as I had to leave a fantastic team I loved working for and I now wish I had completed my training to become a registered nurse. If I knew then what I know now Iwould of stayed as I was or completed the training. I think anyone completing their band 4 need to be certain the role they trained for will be available as it can be a very long road ahead.

  5. nat says:

    Dear Jane
    What about the APs we have spent two years training and been fighting to be regulated so to gain a professional status. Are we to be the lesser unimportant and cast aside after all of our dedication

  6. Tayuana Garcia says:

    Dear NHS England,

    I’m a Brazilian-American, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN/LVN) with 3 years of experience in a nursing home in Louisiana-USA.

    I’m beyond delighted with the big news about Nursing Associate opportunity in England!!

    Please, is there any hope for an American LPN like myself? Where do I sign up? How do I begin?Please tell me where is the starting point and I’ll take it from there. I just need a sign pointing in the right direction.

    Thank you in advance for your time!

  7. Elizabeth Suffolk says:

    Hi I am currently working as a qualified dental nurse with 25 years experience,how do I become a nurse associate.unfortunately I do not have my gcse in maths and English is this a problem

    Elizabeth Suffolk

  8. Anonymous says:

    Hi I am qualified nurse in India
    Can I able to do nurse associate

  9. Pam says:

    Hi professor Jane I’m currently working for a charity run hospice and was wondering how do I get on a course, I’ve been a health care assistant 26 years ?
    Would appreciate any information I’m in South Yorkshire
    Thanks Pam

  10. Adam Merrell says:

    Dear Jane, I am very interested in all subjects of nursing. I currently working for my city district nursing team. I am a AP in the community, which I enjoy very much and work under the delegation and support the DN and community nurses. I would be very grateful if you could send me some information about this role as I gain more interest studying while I work. I am in Leicester. Kind Regards

  11. marie says:

    Hi Jane i have been working as a band4 healthcare with the nhs . i try to get on to the nurse associcate course but i can never get the right form to fill out and my manager is so willing helping how can i get on.when is the next starting dates for whittington nhs or royalfree hospital.please THANK

  12. marie says:

    Hi Jane i have been working as a band4 healthcare with the nhs . i try to get on to the nurse associcate course but i can never get the right form to fill out and my manager is so willing helping how can i get on.

  13. neelam bi says:

    Hi

    I am interested in this role can I get more information please

    Neelam bi

  14. abayomi says:

    Hi PROFESSOR jane,

    Please can you tell me the next starting date for this programme

    • marie says:

      Hi Jane i have been working as a band4 healthcare with the nhs . i try to get on to the nurse associcate course but i can never get the right form to fill out and my manager is so willing helping how can i get on.when is the next starting dates for whittington nhs or royalfree hospital.please THANK.

  15. francesca Sweeting says:

    i currently work for the NHS as a Maternity Support worker. I am really interested in becoming a Child Nurse but i am finding it very difficult with having children at home, i need to be able to work and learn.
    i looked into open university but the currently only offer Adult Nursing. what qualifications do you achieve becoming a Nurse Associate.

    Many Thanks

    • Sophie e says:

      Hi
      I am also a maternity support worker, I have my interview tomorrow for a nursing associate place, I was just wondering how this role will work within maternity, will I just be working along side the midwives instead of nurses? And what about the current band 4 nursery nurses will this just be a different role within the maternity mdt?

  16. Vineesha Varghese says:

    Hi,
    I am an overseas nurse would like to practice in the UK as an associate nurse. Could you please tell me whether my qualifications and experience as a staff nurse in a different country will allow me to work as an associate nurse?. What are the requirements to perform NMC registration as an AP?

    Thank You

    Sincerely,
    Vineesha

  17. M. Howells says:

    so the new Band 4’s can administer medication!
    So can you please tell me why am i spending 3 years at university to become registered when i could just do 2?

    Please give me the differences.
    Do they have a PIN?

    If not then HOW can they be allowed to administer medication!?

    • . says:

      They are going to be registered with the RCN.

    • Emma says:

      This is NOT a new role as the government would like you to believe.
      I have worked as a band 4 nurse associate practitoner for 7 year’s and completed my medicine management/OSCE to administer medication back in 2010 and have been undertaking drug rounds as part of my role since then, in a large acute teaching NHS trust.
      The main difference in the role is in the assessment of patient nerds and care planning which band 4 nurses do not lead on.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Lets be clear. This is anout getting the job done on the cheap. Plain and simple.

  19. Ibrar Hussain says:

    I Am working as a senior care Assistant in a Nursing home more then 5 years and my manager selected me to avail the opportunity of Nurse Associate and I went through all the process and had a very successful Interview with CCG Trafford Crossgate House Manchester and interview conducted by the Clinical Care Manager and head department and I received the email of successful interview, but unfortunately didn’t get supported by the higher management where I am working the reason they gave me they don’t wanna lose their good staff as CCG taking their good staff for Nurse Associate program. I didn’t understand this logic but I want this opportunity CCG manager really sported me and encouraged me to get help from NHS to provide me a path wich lead to Nurse Associate role(apprentice)
    Please could you help me on this matter

  20. Nicola Chalmers says:

    As a Practicing AP (Band 4) i feel this role underminds my current role. How does this effect the current Band 4 role and why hasnt there been a conversion? Im on the last module of a full degree and will only be a Band 4 with a degree stuck in a Band 4 rut. Therefore have you any advice on what the exaisting Band 4’s can do to take their career forward ?

    • NHS England says:

      Thanks for your comment Nicola. Your question is one that we are being asked by several Assistant Practitioners and Health Education England (HEE) are in the process of developing a more detailed response in relation to this question. We do expect the Nursing Associate to be at the same level and the new pilot sites announced by HEE in October will test the role and any overlap. We see both Nursing Associate and the Assistant Practitioner having equal value but differing roles in health and care settings. HEE have a number of frequently asked questions on their website.

      Thanks

      NHS England

  21. E evans says:

    Hi do you have the more detailed report on the difference between AP’s and the new Associate role yet please? I ask because in my workplace EIT (mental health) I am an AP but the role hasnt really blended with what the community team needs are. What would be more useful is if I could hold a depo clinic or go to do patients homes to do this etc. Will I be able to do a further module in medication admin to allow me to work in a similar way as I already do more of a nursing role in my team Even though I am an AP. Thank you

    • NHS England says:

      Thanks for your comment and question. Health Education England who are leading on the Nursing Associate role have produced a set of frequently asked questions which may help.

      If this does not answer your question, please give them a call.

  22. Joanne backhouse says:

    Could you please send me link to enrol on this please

  23. anasimao @hotmail. co.uk says:

    Hi! My name is Anna I would like to Nursing Associate Degree can you please help me wich University can I do this course as soon as possible.

  24. PRIYA JOHN says:

    Hi, I would like to enrol for nursing associate degree, which university do this course please.

    • NHS England says:

      Dear John

      Thanks for your comment. It’s wonderful to hear that you are thinking of starting a career in nursing. Further information and detail is available on the Health Education England website about a route into the nursing profession. All the best and good luck.

      Kind regards,
      NHS England

  25. Baljeet sandhu says:

    Dear
    Thank you for your email. I am interested in the Nursing Associates training and would like to register for this training.

    Many thanks

  26. EW.milverton says:

    I keep reading about Nurses Tasks I don’t like this term as it invites comparison to manual labour which nursing can never be likened.I prefer assignments which has a more professional into nation. Has anyone looked at the word liaison as this sums up the new grade and is self explanitary. I really like liaison nurses dont you.e.w.milverton 1 gordan place . Heavitree exeter ex12rf

  27. Michael Meier says:

    My name is Michael Meier. I am a nurse living in Montana, United States. I currently am licensed in the US as a licensed practical nurse. I have a 2 year associate of applied science degree along with a bachelor’s degree in applied science with a concentration in healthcare administration. I have been reviewing the literature on the UK’s new roll of the associate nurse. It is my understanding that my duties as a licensed practical nurse in the US and as an associate nurse in the UK are relatively compatible. The my scope of practice is more limited than that of the registered nurse I have benefited from a great deal of diversity during my nursing career. I have worked as a nurse in a County Health Department, a Hospital dialysis unit, a long-term care facility, and a Veteran’s Health Care Facility. I am searching for advice on how to apply for an advanced Nurse Program in the United Kingdom. Which programs are recommended both with regards to academic success and fiscal conservation.

  28. Rod says:

    I deeply appreciated this innovative program that the government, pursuing to lessen the burden and workloads of Registered Nurses, by creating this new role to help them but the whole multidisciplinary team as a whole. I would also like to raise my concerned about the foreign qualified nurses from abroad, that has been working as a senior carers in a residential care homes for number of years, who’s been practicing the nurses role of administering medications and liaising with the medical team if needed by the service users they cared for. Would it be a great help if the government or the NMC should give them credits and making it easier for them to get the pin to practice. Personally the IELTS is becoming the hindrance for them to get into the first step of NMC nursing registration. I do believe that most of them has been working on this role for more than five years and their contributions has been deeply appreciated by the service users, their families and employers.

  29. Emma says:

    Hi i have got on the nurse associate course and have 2 make a decision but i am worried that i am no academic enough to do this please could you give me some advise on what this would intale.
    Thank you.

    • Angie Taylor says:

      I too have got on the course, I left school 31 years ago.. I have a level 3 diploma in health and social care, have been a band 3 hca and now a doctors assistant … you obviously have a level 3 diploma/ nvq to gain a place. It’s just progression. Draw on knowledge you have and embrace any new knowledge you will gain .

    • Mags says:

      Hi Emma. Congratulations on getting into the course. I wondered if anyone has replied to you with the information you asked for? I’m going for an interview on Wednesday for same course.

  30. Melanie Tudor says:

    I am a lapsed enrolled nurse having taken 16yrs out. I did a back to nursing course in 2002 passed it but circumstances changed and i couldnt pursue it. 3 yrs lapsed.
    I work as a top band 3 HCA trained in many skills. Have been working within sexual health for 9 yrs almost full time and it has many roles.
    It seems my previous enrolled nurse qualification is ignored where I am and to be recognised to be considered band 4 id have to do this course its going backwards. I find it insulting as my boss just says your qualification has lapsed. I try to point out that yes its lapsed to be a registered nurse but the associate is basically a sen role the registered part comes after further training. If you did o levels 20yrs ago they count why does my nursing qualification not count. Think in 9yrs i have more than proved my worth, I feel my skills are wasted!!!

  31. Marie Thomas says:

    State Enroll Nurse,being recreated.Will this put and end to oversea recuritment a strain on the small budget and draining Countries from keeping their trained Staff.

  32. Shirley tidswell says:

    Amazing how we come round in full circles…I remember the state enrolled nurses, how it was decided that they were no longer needed, were forced to retrain as state registered nurses or leave altogether….now it seems we do need an interim role between the registered nurse and the HCA! I wonder how much money has been wasted over the years in this process!!!
    Saying all of that, I agree that something has to change and there is a need for another level of nursing. Perhaps this time during the selection process, we can choose professionally minded people who have a caring vocation not just somebody who wants a job as in general, my experience of some HCAs are that they are uncaring and unprofessional, being asked to do things way above their capability and training. The associate nurse will have to be regulated. They should also not be instead of fully registered nurses, but as an addition.

  33. Martha Amouzougan says:

    Dear Jane,
    Thank you for your email. I am interested in the Nursing Associates training and would like to register for this training.

    Many thanks

  34. Michael Mulgrew says:

    This new role of associate nurse sounds interesting, I understand the role requires studying for a foundation degree, what will it mean for current band 4’s (Associate Practitioners)? Like myself who has successfully completed a foundation degree and currently work within a clinical setting. Is it the same role under a different name or a new role all together?

    • mark says:

      I would like to know this too as I am also a band 4 associate practitioner within a affective disorder team where I care coordinate

    • Anonymous says:

      I am also a band 4 assistant practitioner & wonder where our skills will be used?

  35. Dr. Ian Spencer says:

    This is an interesting re-invention of the Enrolled Nurse. Who will be the regulator of standards? With the SEN it was the General Nursing Council. Now a lot of duties (observations and hands-on nursing care) previously performed by registered nurses are performed by nursing assitants. As Brian Abel-Smith observed, the history of nursing is the history of state intervention. It’s hard to separate this from the piecemeal privatisation of the NHS and the ‘need’ to drive down nurses wages in order that private companies can be profitable. Another feature of it is, of course, that the nursing workforce is resolutely 90% female. A huge part of the British workforce is engaged in care work and wages will be forced down mostly for women. In the absence of an organised trade union movement the government now feels able to ‘take on’ the nursing profession – or rather, deprofessionalise it.

    • NHS England says:

      Thanks for your comment Dr Spencer. The Nursing Associate is a new role designed with the nursing profession following requests from the profession itself to develop a workforce to meet the changing needs of our population. Our expectation, subject to further work on assessing the patient safety impact of the role, is that the Nursing Associate will be regulated. The decision to regulate and the regulator is indeed a ministerial one and the lessons from the work to date and plans for the role will inform such a decision. It will also provide an alternative route to obtaining a graduate professional nursing qualification in future.
      Kind regards,
      NHS England

      • Charlene bacon says:

        Hi
        Is there anywhere in Dorset that will be or is doing this course. I am a unit manager of a dementia unit which I would obviously wish to continue working in. I did start my nurse training but due to personal issue I couldn’t continue. Is this course likely to be offered in a nursing home setting or is this purely for hospitals etc.

  36. Denise Carney says:

    I am interested to become a nursing associate. Do you have to be already working in the nhs to become a an associate?
    I have worked in a bank for almost 20 years and have just taken voluntary redundancy. I want to do something completely different and know I want to go into the health profession. When I have come across this new information on the new role, it really appeals to me. I have 4 Gcse’s and an A level. gcse’s in English language and Literature, Maths, Sociology and Psychology and my A level is in Psychology. Do my qualifications meet the entry requirements? I would really appreciate you getting back to me. I live in Liverpool.

    • Kassander says:

      Chad says
      “Wot?
      No reply?”

    • NHS England says:

      Thanks for your comment Denise, it’s wonderful to hear that you are thinking of starting a career in health. Further information and detail is available on the Health Education England website: https://hee.nhs.uk/our-work/developing-our-workforce/nursing/new-support-role-nursing about a route into the nursing profession. All the best and good luck.
      Kind regards,
      NHS England

      • KASSANDER says:

        I looked thru’ that ‘source’, and I’m doubtful that it supplies much at all about any
        ” … route into the nursing profession.”
        never mind one for such a willing person as Ms Carney with her qualifications.
        REAL careers advisers would have written to Ms Carney with specific information tailored to her requirements. And not taken TWO weeks, and a reminder, about it.

  37. Nathan Trevena says:

    So will the nursing associate be listed on a register? surely is this not the role of the assistant practitioner under a different title. Would it not be more beneficial to train existing AP’s in this role and change the education system to reflect any new placements of staff in this role to that of an Nurse Associate instead of AP’s.

    As a student nurse this is also a concern, as it will mean another member of the care team that nurses are legally responsible for overseeing. Will this really be freeing up nurses or simply taking them away from their patients

    • NHS England says:

      Thanks for your comment Nathan. Our expectation, subject to further work on assessing the patient safety impact of the role, is that the Nursing Associate will be regulated and on a register. The Nursing Associate role is a new role being designed to meet the changing needs of people we care for. It is a role that is being designed with our workforce, who themselves have demonstrated and made explicit the need for this new role. Your question is one that we are being asked by several Assistant Practitioners and HEE will be developing a more detailed response for you. We do expect the Nursing Associate to be at the same level and the new pilot sites announced by HEE last month will test the role and any overlap. We see both Nursing Associate and the Assistant Practitioner having equal value but differing roles in health and care settings.
      Kind regards,
      NHS England

  38. Karen L says:

    Please can you define the role of the associate nurse and give a ward based scenario (busy medical ward) of how the 3 roles would work together.

  39. Kassander says:

    @
    Jo Gander says:
    17 October, 2016 at 7:14 pm
    —–
    Christine Leeming says:
    16 October, 2016 at 11:07 am
    —-
    Pauline Ford says:
    15 October, 2016 at 7:59 pm
    ​—-
    With respect to SENs​
    I did wonder 😉
    “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”

    Oh look, a wheel !

  40. Kassander says:

    All fluff and puff, and zero content of any substantive information:
    * course content;
    * entry qualifications;
    * assessment modes and criteria (exams; continuous assessment; ..);
    * integration of theoretical with practical;
    * status of final qualification (degree?)
    * possible career progression (in-service units to RN status?);
    * financial aspects;

    There is no reference to these essentials, either in the main text, or in any of the links.

    Has this scheme been thought thru’, or is it an emergency dressing to try to cover up a deep seated failing exacerbated by recent astonishing cuts in nursing education and training support?

    • NHS England says:

      Thanks for your comment Kassander. Earlier this year, Health Education England (HEE) undertook a consultation about the Nursing Associate role and followed this up with several workshops across the country to develop the role. These findings were reviewed and included in the latest proposals. The pilot sites will now work to see how the role will work in practice and the press release issued by HEE does give some further details. The pilot sites will now work to see how the role will work in practice utilising the national curriculum framework that has been developed to underpin the role.

      Kind regards
      NHS England

      • Kassander says:

        “Earlier this year, Health Education England (HEE) undertook a consultation about the Nursing Associate role and followed this up with several workshops across the country to develop the role”
        ==
        Who; What; When; Where.
        What patient input?
        BUT
        Basically you’re saying that you
        # DO NOT have the answers to my specific questions,
        # nor do you know where those answers are,
        # nor has the author of the original article bothered to let you know where the answers are hidden.
        No wonder you remain anonymous!

      • Kassander says:

        HSJ
        RCN chief: New role risks devaluing nursing
        8 NOVEMBER, 2016 BY SHAUN LINTERN

        “RCN chief executive Janet Davies criticises “lack of transparency” over development of nurse associate role
        She says proposals to allow nurse associates to administer controlled drugs is “ridiculous”
        Viewing nursing as a task based role would put patient safety at risk, she says”
        ———–
        Which is basically what most, if not all, of the people who have posted comments here have said.
        When is NHS-E going to start talking with, and listening to, P&P, and those with grassroots experience.
        NOT those from the VCS who purport to speak for us, but don’t & can’t.
        Ms Cummings is arguably allowing this to be messed up, just the same as she is with the re-launch of NHS-E’s CITIZEN, project.
        In those imortal words:
        Perhaps Ms Cummings should very seriously:
        ‘Consider her position.’

        Or if not, then the Board should.

  41. Rachel says:

    Sorry I’m confused, I thought after the Francis report criticism that nurses were no longer caring because they were detached from doing the general care of patients and building therapeutic. Relationships to assist quality and compassion. Why therefore are we returning to the idea that you don’t need a qualified nurse to do such tasks?! Obviously skill mix enhances patient care but the idea of a reliance on qualified nurses with the skills to care and lead services is a negative thing seems to be a dangerous path to follow and one that we will see a costly need to rectifying again in the future (it’s written in history books, and not too distant history). How can one idea contradict itself so obviously, by saying tools and frameworks can replace clinical decisions and clinical knowledge but also that the nursing profession needs innovators and leaders which only comes with high standards of education, not staff just trained to fit into frameworks.

    • NHS England says:

      Thanks for your comment Rachel. The Nursing Associate role will be a key part of a multi-disciplinary workforce needed to meet the needs of a changing population and set out in the FYFV. Discussions across England have demonstrated widespread support for the introduction of this new role for health and care.

      The Nursing Associate role is part of the developing contemporary workforce and will work under the direction of a fully qualified Registered Nurse (RN). The Nursing Associate is not a registered nurse, but will undertake some of the duties that an RN currently undertakes, and is expected to undertake to meet the challenges of the FYFV. This doesn’t mean that the RN won’t have an important role to play in building relationships and we are not saying that RNs having skills to care and lead services is a negative thing. The role of the Nursing Associate will enable the RN to spend more time on the assessment and care associated with both complex needs and the advances in treatments.

      When undertaking a review of skill mix, consideration should be given to the role of the Nursing Associate within the multi-disciplinary team.

      Kind Regards
      NHS England

  42. Jo Gander says:

    Would be interesting to understand how this role differs from the SEN role of the past ?

    • NHS England says:

      Hi Jo,

      Thank you for your comment.

      The Nursing Associate role is a new role being designed to meet the changing needs of people we care for. It is a role that is being designed with our workforce, who themselves have demonstrated and made explicit the need for this new role .The Nursing Associate role will be part of a wider team and will support all who work in the changing landscape of health and care to deliver sustainable services. The Nursing Associate is not a nurse (there are clear standards and competencies for the graduate registered nurse) but we expect the Nursing Associate to complete 50% of those competencies to become a Nursing Associate. The role is therefore designed for the future and is not a role of the past.

      Kind Regards
      NHS England

  43. Christine Leeming says:

    I am currently doing a foundation degree to become an Assistant Practitioner at band 4 where does this leave me? Will Nursing Associates be at the same level , or will Assistant Practitioners have to do further study to be equal?

    • NHS England says:

      Thank you Christine. This is a question that we are being asked by several Assistant Practitioners and HEE will be developing a more detailed response for you. We do expect the Nursing Associate to be at the same level and the new pilot sites announced by HEE last week will test the role and any overlap. We see both Nursing Associate and the Assistant Practitioner having equal value but differing roles in health and care settings

      Kind Regards
      NHS England

      • karen beecroft says:

        So i guess what myself and all other assistant practitioners currently working, who have a foundation degree in health and social care (i currentlty work as a practice development maternity assistant pratctioner) is are we are going to be allowed to join the register as the role of nursing associate is the ‘same in esscense and having equal value to the assistant practitioner role?

  44. Pauline Ford says:

    So, in effect we are bringing back the SEN. How many people have been lost to nursing in the meantime.
    So very very sad

    • NHS England says:

      Thanks for your comment Pauline. The Nursing Associate role is not the same as the SEN, will be part of a wider team and will support all who work in the changing landscape of health and care to deliver sustainable services. It will be a new role designed to meet the changing needs of people we care for. It is a role that is being designed with our workforce, who themselves have demonstrated and made explicit the need for this new role. The Nursing Associate role will be part of a wider team and will support all who work in the changing landscape of health and care to deliver sustainable services. The Nursing Associate is not a nurse (there are clear standards and competencies for the graduate registered nurse) but we expect the Nursing Associate to complete 50% of those competencies to become a Nursing Associate. The role is therefore designed for the future and is not a role of the past.

      Kind Regards
      NHS England

      • Karen Beecroft says:

        So in essence i guess what all AP’s myself included want to know(i currently work as a practice development maternity assistant practitioner), that those of us who have completed the foundation degree in health and social care and are currently working as assistant practitioners will we also be able to join the register?

    • Lorraine says:

      I was once a SEN. I left because I couldn’t progress at the time, though working nights as nurse in charge, every night. Not because of a lack of academic ability, hard work or competency but through lack of encouragement. I went on to study on to attain MSc in an allied profession after leaving nursing. I’m pleased I did & returned to the NHS. I am a band 7 (Mon-Fri 9-5) & very happy. However, I’m was sad not to continue with my nursing career & often wondered ‘what if’ How many committed, loyal, hard working SEN’s were in that position after qualifying back then? How many left after being blocked from progressing, or undermined simply because they were EN not RN? In my day SEN’s had very rigorous training. I truly hope the new AN role doesn’t leave people in that same position. How many EN’s would have come back to practice if given the right support & encouragement instead of being thrown on the scrap heap? From a soon to retire, sceptical, NHS allied profession

  45. Kassander says:

    “a RN”
    or
    “an RN”
    ?

    • jacquie and trish says:

      Are We Not Already Carrying Out the Nursing Associate Role?
      My self and my colleague have been qualified Assistant Practitioners holding a 2 year foundation degree for the last ten years working in cancer services, our role involves holistic patient care, and a extensive remit of clinical skills, including: Cannulation,Venepuncture,central venous catheter care, blood product transfusions,electrolyte infusions, catheter’s, nasal gastric tube placements, feeding regimes, subcutaneous injections, immunoglobulins, pre-meds, monoclonal and bisophosphonate infusions, emergency assessments patients presenting with neutropenic sepsis, chemotherapy toxicity reactions, we are currently working towards administering some chemotherapy infusions, the list goes on !!!!
      We were told 10 years ago that the AP role was introduced to bridge the gap between the RGN’s and the HCA’s as reported by The Guardian news paper 25th Feb 2016. with a promise of registration.
      Is this not the Nursing Associate Role

      • nat says:

        They have just left the APs without answers
        Are we to ever be classed as professional healthcare workers
        No lets waste more money and train more people with a different title. Another few years there be yet another role to cover over the cracks.

      • Kerry says:

        I am a nursing associate and it’s not the same role because assistant practitioners all studied different levels when becoming assistant practitioners and when training you studied in one area we are studying In 4 different area to gain a wider knowledge we will all come out with foundation degrees and we will be adaptable. it’s a different job role because of what the course intails is completely different. the skills maybe be the same actually I think you may be able to more now then I will when I qualify but maybe not but it’s not just about the skills we do in our jobs it’s about the types of environments we are exposed to assistant practitioners are skilled and are very important to our role as you can teach us just like the nurses do registration would be hard to do when most AP is specific to there area of work and all have different job roles and different expectations in there area for example an AP in my area of work is not trained in NG tubes but you are