Nurses and trainee nursing associates talk to Committee
27 November 2017
Trainees in the new healthcare role of nursing associate met with Members of the Health Committee at the Royal London Hospital on Thursday to talk about their new role.
A focus group was also held with nurses from community, mental health and acute sectors from around England, facilitated by the Nursing Times.
The inquiry
The Health Committee is carrying out an Inquiry into the nursing workforce, looking at the current and future scale of the shortfall of nursing staff and whether the Government has effective plans to recruit, train and retain the required personnel.
The Committee heard about the contribution of nursing associates to patient care and their potential as a route into nursing as well as views on their training experience so far. They then heard directly from nurses from across the country who gave their perspective on a wide range of issues relating to the nursing workforce.
Additional forum with practising nurses
The Committee also held a forum with a selection of qualified nurses in order to gather views and opinions to help with the Committee's inquiry into the nursing workforce.
The Chair of the Committee, Dr Sarah Wollaston, said,
"I am very grateful to the trainee nursing associates and programme leaders for meeting the Committee to share their views about their training and about the scope and potential of their future roles. It was also hugely valuable to meet in person with practising nurses from around the country and across many different specialisms to hear about the key challenges facing the profession"
Further information
Image: Parliamentary Copright