NHS England reports there are now over 5,500 Nursing Associates working in the NHS "with more to come under NHS Long Term Workforce Plan." (29th January 2024)
The Nursing Associate role serves as a bridge between healthcare assistants and registered nurses, working in a variety of settings and playing an essential role in delivering patient care within health and care teams.
This role also serves as a career path for healthcare support workers, with thousands of healthcare support workers enrolling on training associate programmes over the last five years.
"Since its introduction, the nursing associate role has made a huge contribution as part of the multi-disciplinary team and provides essential care and support to patients and their families. The role contributes to improved service delivery, enhances patient care and boosts staff retention due to expanded career growth prospects."
The introduction of the Nursing Associate role is a key part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan which aims to increase entry opportunities into the nursing profession. The plan commits to boosting the number of Nursing Associates to 64,000 full-time equivalents by 2036/37, expanding the number of training places to 10,500 by 2031/32 as part of the expansion plan across the nursing profession.
Learn from outstanding practice in training and supporting Nursing Associates, and network with colleagues who are implementing and developing the Nursing Associate role at the Nursing Associate virtual conference.
Date: Friday, 14th June 2024
Location: Virtual, Online
This CPD conference is suitable for both senior nurses introducing and supporting the role, as well as registered and student Nursing Associates developing in the role.
