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The "positive difference" made by nursing associates across the UK is being celebrated today to mark the one-year anniversary of the role.
More than 1,500 nursing associates have joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council since its register opened to the profession 12 months ago.
“They are role models for those people who look towards a career in nursing”
Alex Stock
Among those who have registered include the very first nursing associate from overseas, revealed the NMC.
Leaders across the health and care sector said nursing associates were now a "key part of healthcare teams" and praised how far the role had progressed in just one year.
To celebrate the anniversary, chief executive and registrar for the NMC, Andrea Sutcliffe, visited nursing associates and the people they care for at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
Ms Sutcliffe said it was “great to see how far we’ve come in only a year of this new professional role” joining the register.
“During my recent visit to Milton Keynes Hospital, I was delighted to meet nursing associates and hear about the positive difference they are making for the people they support,” she said.
“It was also lovely to hear from their colleagues who clearly value their contribution to the wider nursing team.
“I’m always encouraged by the enthusiasm and pride nursing associates show about their role – they have such an important part to play as we develop a modern, progressive nursing team to meet the increasing needs of people using health and social care services.”
Andrea Sutcliffe
Ms Sutcliffe added that she looked forward to seeing the role “continue to grow in the years ahead”.
The post was first announced by the government in 2016 and was developed by its arms’-length body Health Education England (HEE).
The aim of the role is to bridge the skills gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses, and to allow registered nurses to concentrate on more complex care jobs.
It was designed to create another route into the registered nursing profession, because nursing associates will have the opportunity to progress to graduate level nursing.
During Ms Sutcliffe’s visit to Milton Keynes she met with two of the first nursing associates to join the register.
Danielle Knight had started at the trust as a porter eight years ago and now works in the emergency department.
She said her proudest moment was graduating from the nursing associate course.
“I never thought I’d get to this point and getting to see the faces of my two children when I graduated was so special,” added Ms Knight.
“My daughter now says she wants to become a nurse when she grows up.”
Meanwhile, Fara Azim started as a healthcare assistant and now works as a nursing associate on a ward providing medical care for people living with dementia.
She said she was a "completely different person" since following the new career path.
"It’s such a great way to bridge the gap between health care assistant and nurses"
Kylie Weir
Sister Alex Stock worked closely with Ms Azim and other nursing associates during their training.
She said: “I find that nursing associates are hard-working, dedicated and hold a positive outlook.
“They are role models for those people who look towards a career in nursing.”
She explained that she had first met nursing associates when they were students on the ward.
“They were eager to learn and had a good foundation of clinical knowledge due to previous experience as a healthcare assistant,” said Ms Stock.
She added that it was a “privilege to welcome the first newly qualified nursing associated to our team”.
“We overcame some initial challenges by restructuring and improving the way we work as a team and this has brought huge benefits to patient care through the variety of experiences which nursing associates take in and opportunities that arise,” said Ms Stock.
In addition, Kylie Weir, who joined the register from overseas, said she would “definitely recommend” the role to others.
Meanwhile, Su Hickman, a nursing associate trainee at Oxford University Hospital, initially started nurse training in 2013 but had to withdraw after her diagnosis with ovarian cancer.
After her recovery, Ms Hickman worked at the hospital in an administrative role, but felt that something was missing from her career.
She was then supported by her manager to train as a nursing associate, shortly after the role became available.
Commenting on her experience, Ms Hickman said: “At first I was worried it would be really basic, where we wouldn’t learn that much or have any opportunities to do interesting things. But it has been the complete opposite.
“It's been absolutely fascinating, very hands-on and I’ve really enjoyed the academic learning.
“Every day we learn something new and the support from nurses, doctors and especially my managers has made a huge difference; it’s opened so many opportunities for my future that I’d never imagined.”
Kylie Weir became the first international nursing associate to register with the NMC after relocating to the UK with her partner last year from her home country of New Zealand.
She said: “I would definitely recommend it to anyone, it’s such a great way to bridge the gap between health care assistant and nurses.
“It’s also the perfect opportunity to get into healthcare and see if you like it.
Mark Radford
“I think it’s great that we’re registered with NMC, it helps keep us accountable not only to ourselves, but to all those we care for as well.”
Commenting on the anniversary of the role, chief nurse at HEE, Professor Mark Radford, said: “Nursing associates have become a key part of healthcare teams who deliver much needed care to patients in health and social care setting across the country.
“It is great to see how far this new role has come in such a short space of time and the continued enthusiasm and commitment shown for it.
"I am pleased to see that over 1,500 [nursing associates] are now part of the NMC register in the last year and look forward to seeing those numbers continue to grow.”
Meanwhile, health minister, Edward Argar, said nursing associates were “making a positive difference to patients and supporting nurses to deliver high quality, safe care every single day”.
“This government will deliver 50,000 more nurses by 2025 and this fantastic role provides a new route into a rewarding career in the NHS by making it easier to climb the ladder for those who want to become registered nurses,” he added.
“One year on, thousands of nursing associates have either joined the register or begun training and I hope to see many more starting their careers in healthcare in the coming years.”
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