About professional nurse advocates training

As a Level 7 accredited programme, which includes academic assessment, poster presentations and competency portfolios, the professional nurse advocate (PNA) role offers solid professional credibility. The programme will run for 10 days, with some variation according to health education institutes providing the training.

The restorative supervision that PNAs deliver is integral to their training and starts as soon as their time on the programme begins. The course content of PNA training focuses first and foremost on restorative supervision. Beyond this the focus is on the four functions of the advocating for education and quality and improvement (A-Equip) odel. These four functions are as follows:

  • Clinical supervision (restorative)
  • Monitoring, evaluation and quality control (normative)
  • Personal action for quality improvement
  • Education and development (formative)

The programme is being gradually rolled out right across England during 2021. This will ensure there will be PNAs in place to support colleagues in the following specialties:

  • Critical care
  • Mental health (adult acute and pilot)
  • Community
  • Learning disabilities (adult)
  • Children and young people
  • Children and young people (mental health)
  • Safeguarding
  • Health and criminal justice (prison)
  • International recruitment

The criterion for the PNA training programme requires that you:

  • A registered nurse
  • Are in a patient facing role
  • Are Band 5 or above
  • Hold a pre-2012 nursing diploma (with the addition of a top-up accredited Level 6 qualification)
  • Already hold an accredited Level 6 qualification (degree or degree equivalent/ top-up accredited Level 6 CPD course)
  • Have line manager approval to be released.