Nursing Associate role risks diluting profession and confusing patients, RCN conference
Plans to create a new nursing support role risk “diluting” the profession and confusing patients, a medical conference has heard.
The UK Government announced proposals in December to introduce nursing “associates” to bridge the gap between healthcare support workers, who have a care certificate, and registered nurses.
They would be responsible for delivering hands-on care and allow specialist nurses to focus on more advanced duties.
The idea is that staff in the role could progress to become registered nurses via a degree-level nurse apprenticeship or a shortened nursing degree at university.
A recent consultation saw concerns raised that the introduction of nursing associates could give registered nurses less contact with patients while adding to their management duties.
There have been calls for clarity over the role, which many feel overlaps with that of care assistants and assistant practitioners (APs), and for the role to be regulated.
Delegates at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) congress in Glasgow heard workers’ concerns during a discussion on the potential impact of nursing associates on the care system.
Speaker Lindsay Cardwell, introducing the debate, said: “Why create another role when the AP role is already in existence?
“Assistant practitioners have been in healthcare and working very well since 2002.
“Why create a new title which will lead to further confusion? Many patients struggle to understand the different titles and roles as it is.”
Brenda McIllmurray told the conference: “Why are they proposing a new, rushed, poorly thought-out role to excuse their poor workforce planning?
“Respect the roles that are already there, respect nursing and listen to the experts. Stop messing about.
“We are going to confuse the patients, we are going to confuse the healthcare system – it just does not make sense to me.
“Stop trying to dilute the profession that is already here and which holds our NHS together.”
The Health Education England (HEE) consultation between January and March received almost 1,400 responses from individual nurses, professional bodies, unions and employers.
It found the majority “welcome the new role for many reasons including its potential benefit to patients but it is also clear that stakeholders want the role to be defined, have a clear scope of practice and a robust education and training framework”.
HEE says it now plans to take forward work to develop the nursing associate role.
Responding to the announcement in May, the RCN said early test sites must be carefully monitored to ensure the new role is introduced in a way that improves patient experience.
Donna Kinnair, director of nursing, policy and practice at the RCN, said: “The best interests of patients will be served by developing support staff, either through this new role or by extending existing ones, and by ensuring that there are enough registered nurses.”
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