Nursing associates set to be introduced in Wales
Posted 22 January 2024 - 11:43
Introduction of the band 4 role will mirror that of nursing associates in England, but RCN cautions against exploitation
Band 4 regulated nursing associates are set to be introduced in Wales to support the delivery of safe patient care, it has been announced.
Wales minister for health and social services Eluned Morgan confirmed that the introduction of the band 4 role will mirror that of nursing associates in England, which have been in place since 2018.
It comes after the Welsh Government last year commissioned a review to explore the options and opportunities of introducing nursing associates into its NHS.
Ms Morgan said in a statement: ‘A key finding demonstrates that despite considerable work over a decade to standardise healthcare support worker development, there remains significant under-utilisation of the band 4 role and an inconsistent approach to its implementation across NHS Wales.’
Move seen as bridging the gap between healthcare support workers and registered nurses
She said a regulated nursing associate role had been the best model of widening access into nursing in England and provided an opportunity to bridge the gap between healthcare support workers and registered nurses.
‘This is a momentous decision for nursing and is vitally important for the quality and safety of care provided to patients as well as improving patient outcomes,’ she added.
But RCN Wales associate director of nursing Sandy Harding said the decision to introduce the role without a full public consultation was disappointing.
‘There have been instances in England where registered nursing associates have reported that they have been exploited, and this must not happen in Wales,’ she said.
Risk to patient safety if health boards employ nursing associates in place of registered nurses, says RCN
‘There is further evidence of registered nursing associates not being supported to progress their careers into registered nursing. Within Wales there are already many available routes through Health Education Improvement Wales for this to happen.’
The RCN warned there is a risk to patient safety amid high nurse vacancies and current financial pressures if health boards employ nursing associates in place of registered nurses. There are currently 2,667 registered nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff vacancies in Wales, latest data show.
Ms Harding said: ‘There is no evidence to suggest that patient safety and outcomes would be improved with the introduction of registered nursing associates within Wales.’
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe welcomed the announcement but said: ‘This needs to be discussed and decided by our Council, and subject to their approval it would require the UK government to make changes to our legislation.’
Nursing associates have been part of the NMC register since 2018. The first ever cohort joined the workforce in England in January 2019 after two years of training.
Since then more than 10,000 nursing associates have joined the NMC register in England, said Ms Sutcliffe, with almost 1,500 going on to become registered nurses.
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