Nursing associates take on new roles at Trust
The first cohort of nursing associates take up their positions at Imperial College Healthcare Trust this month, in a new role designed to work alongside registered nurses and healthcare support workers on our wards.
Five nursing associates have completed a two-year training programme and are beginning their roles in a range of settings across the Trust including renal services and surgery.
Nursing associates are trained to undertake a range of takes such as administering medicines and recording clinical observations. The newly created support role exists to relieve pressure on wards by allowing registered nurses to focus on more complex clinical duties.
Cresteta Nabban-Brown (pictured) is one of the first to qualify, having trained in the renal planned investigation unit at Hammersmith Hospital. “It’s given me the opportunity to progress my career whilst also having the ability to earn. I most enjoy the patient interaction; nurses face increased pressure and workload and we can help with that, by reducing waiting times and improving patients’ experience.”
“The training is very broad, with high standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council,” explains Sinead O’Neill, senior nurse for workforce, revalidation and regulation at the Trust. “For patients, having nursing associates on our wards will mean more registered professionals to care for them.”
The Trust has taken part in a national pilot programme to train nursing associates as the health service responds to the changing demands of growing numbers of patients with more complex health needs.
The role is also designed to offer more flexible routes into traditional professions; trainees learn on the job, and their qualification can be used as a stepping stone to becoming a fully-qualified registered nurse.
The Trust is aiming to train and recruit at least 30 nursing associates each year.
