NMC Projects On The Go, UK

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 16 Jun 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Find out about current projects at the NMC: review of pre-registration nursing education; advanced nursing practice; revalidation; healthcare support workers and distributed regulation.

Review of pre-registration nursing education

The NMC have conducted the first of the two-phase review, which aims to have new standards of proficiency for pre-registration nursing education in place around 2010/2011. The NMC consulted on principles that needed to be considered in order to determine a future framework, which included conducting a survey and holding nine focus groups with questions on five key areas. The consultation involved more than 3000 stakeholder organisations and individuals. The five key areas explored were:

- should the minimum academic level for pre-registration nursing in the UK be at Diploma in Higher Education level, or at degree level
- should the concept of the specialist 'branch' remain, and if so which of the existing four branches should be retained
- should there be a new 'generalist' programme for pre-registration, and if so whether this generalist programme should form a new branch, alongside any new or existing branches
- should a specific time be set for learning in practice in the community
- should there be a mandatory consolidation period set by the NMC following initial registration, and if so how long should it be, what should it contain, and whether it should be linked to the first renewal of registration?

The review also asked detailed questions about shared learning, common pathways and themes, and meeting EU requirements associated with 'general care'. Two independently commissioned consultation reports were received at a meeting of the Extraordinary Nursing Committee in April 2008.

Initial findings support the need for a future framework for pre-registration nursing education to be determined in relation to other major developments (including Modernising Nursing Careers and inter-related NMC workstreams), in particular future post-qualifying careers frameworks. There is more support for gradual modernisation than for radical change. The Nursing Committee Seminar in July will consider the findings in more detail.

Advanced Nursing Practice

The NMC has been concerned for some time about nurses who hold job titles that imply an advanced level of knowledge and competence, but who do not possess such knowledge and competence.

Following a national consultation whose findings were reported to Council in June 2005, Council agreed that 'advanced nurse practitioner' should be a 'registrable' qualification and the NMC should seek approval from the Privy Council for opening a further sub-part to the nurses' part of the register. The government's White Paper Trust, Assurance and Safety - the Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century (2007) stated that the 'Department will discuss with the Nursing and Midwifery Council the outcome of their consultation on advanced nursing practice to agree next steps.' However this work is now very much co-dependent on many other aspects of the White Paper in particular, revalidation. Council will need to decide how practitioners demonstrate continued fitness for practise, and any proposals in relation to a possible sub-part of the register for advanced practice will need to consider the relationship between different parts of the register as part of the NMC's work on revalidation.

Revalidation

In response to the White Paper Trust, Assurance and Safety - the Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century (2007), the NMC is undertaking the proposals for non-medical revalidation set out in the paper to ensure a number of areas, such as: benefits to patient safety; accommodation of registrants working across different settings; accommodation of emerging areas of practice, advanced practice and new ways of working; that revalidation must contribute to the NMC's understanding of the practitioner's continuing fitness to practise; and identification of future needs for continuing professional development for registrants, such as links with Advanced Nursing Practice and Non-medical Prescribing.

The NMC is considering the way forward for a proportionate and risk based approach to revalidation. Mapping and scoping of the project continues and the outcome of the seminar held prior to Council in June will inform further setting up of workstreams within the project plan to determine the way forward. Several current workstreams are co-dependent on this work and will also need to be considered, such as advanced nursing practice and developing return to practice standards for SCPHN (Specialist Community Public Health Nursing).

Healthcare Support Workers

Due to the unique relationship that registered nurses and midwives have with Health Care Support Workers (HCSWs), Council determined that there was a need to explore issues around regulation of this group. The NMC hosted the UK Summit meeting with key stakeholders from across the UK 'Health Care Support Workers: exploring developments - a UK debate' to explore and debate aspects around the regulation of HCSWs. While there was general agreement that HCSWs should be regulated, there was great debate on options, advantages and disadvantages on any possible regulation. Outcomes from this debate will be presented at Council in June and will be shared with key stakeholder organisations and the NMC will continue to engage with stakeholders from across the UK and keep abreast of relevant workstream and policy developments.

The UK government will explore the practicality of a system of distributed regulation, where a health professional joins a regulated new profession from within an existing regulated profession. The NMC realises that there are many new professional roles growing in number and diversity, often where nurses or midwives are taking on duties previously undertaken by other professional groups, such as medical staff.

As a result of these emerging professions, a decision needs to be made as to whether these should be stand alone professions attracting direct entrants with no previous healthcare professional background and if so what regulation may be necessary.

A project to scope competencies, education and any legislation in relation to these and similar roles is due to commence. This will help the NMC identify the links with our policy and standards and provide a base to help progress work on a model of distributed regulation.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Nursing and Midwifery Council. "NMC Projects On The Go, UK." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 16 Jun. 2008. Web.
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