The NHS in England is facing a shortfall in learning disability nurses, in response, Health Education England is taking focused action and investing £2 million in 2019/20 to boost the learning disability workforce including a funding offer for 150 trainee nursing associates whose employers will receive an enhanced training grant for their trainee nursing associates who are spending at least 50% of their time working in learning disability and able to commence their training before the 31st March 2020.
The enhanced training grant equates to £7,900 per annum per trainee resulting in a total of £15,800 over the 2-year training period for a nursing associate. It is anticipated that up to 40% of these trainee nursing associates may continue onto registered nurse programmes. This training grant opportunity is open for NHS, independent, private or charity providers.
The nursing associate is a new role introduced into the nursing team which provides care and support for patients and service users and addresses a skills gap between health and care assistants and registered nurses, it is a stand-alone role in its own right and will also provide a progression route onto accelerated registered nurse programmes including learning disability nursing which will also be dicussed during the session.
Nursing associates undertake a two-year pre-registration apprenticeship programme which results in a foundation degree and comprises of academic study and learning in practice including external practice placements. Nursing associates are trained to work across all four fields of nursing: adult, children’s, mental health, and learning disability, and across the lifespan of patients and in a variety of settings in health and social care. It’s intended that the role will enable registered nurses to focus on more complex clinical duties. This new professional role is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) with the first nursing associates joining the NMC Register in January 2019.
The Registered Nurse apprenticeship on the Learning Disability pathway will be a be 3 to 4 year programme and the funding offer of £7,900 per annum is also open those who undertake this route whether it be an accelerated route post qualification as an Nursing Associate, or as a full programme 3 to 4 year programme.
If you would like to find out more about the nursing associate role, the associated apprenticeship and training grant support from Health Education England for both the Nursing Associate and Registered Nurse apprenticeships in LD, please register for our upcoming webinar on the 12th November by clicking here to download a calendar invite. Once added to your calendar and clicking on the join Skype meeting link at the bottom of the invite page on the day of the webinar. If you have trouble joining click on Try Skype Web App
Any issues please contact: rob.smith2@hee.nhs.uk
Workforce Development for & with People with Intellectual Disabilities 