The QNI is currently reviewing our strategy with a view to creating a new strategy for 2021-2025. Our current strategy (2017-2020) includes six goals – one of which is focussed on standards.
Over the last six years the QNI in partnership with QNI Scotland has developed voluntary standards for the education and practice of specialist practitioner roles in the community. The aim is to enhance existing standards regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and to reflect the modern-day nurse managing an entirely nurse-led service in the community.
We are currently developing voluntary standards for Community Learning Disability Nurse Specialist Practitioners, and have been delighted by the commitment of the profession to developing standards that reflect the nurse-led nature of their services, including the complex assessments and decision making undertaken on a day-to-day, minute-by-minute basis – much of this in the unpredictable and non-clinical environment of the home.
Based on the success of the standards already published, we have been commissioned to develop standards for nurses new to General Practice Nursing and new to Care Home Nursing. The former have been well received by universities developing programmes mapped to a consistent set of standards, agreed by all stakeholders to reflect what is expected of a nurse who is new to working in General Practice.
The Care Home Nurse standards for nurses new to working in a care home setting are under review by the commissioners – and what a good time for these to have been developed. The critical role played by registered nurses working in Care Homes has been highlighted since the pandemic struck and the nurse-led nature of this work and the high level of skill needed have been recognised.
The QNI has a long and valued history of creating standards for the education and practice of nurses working in the community – it was the reason we were created by William Rathbone and Florence Nightingale in 1887.
We are therefore delighted to be participating in the current review by the NMC on the standards for Specialist Community Practitioners and the Specialist Community Public Health Nurses who lead Health Visitor, School Nurse and Occupational Health Nurse services. The work of those nurses in these roles reflects an advanced level of practice and this should be articulated within the new NMC standards.
Experts in the services are participating in the NMC review and I urge you to get involved. This work could form a bridge to the future of an advanced level of practice being regulated by the NMC and is an important moment in the development of standards for our profession. https://www.nmc.org.uk/education/programme-of-chan...