Key activities

Past, present, future

Actively increasing the membership of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner Forum, encouraging members to register on the RCN website as NPs.
Encouraging NPs to lobby locally for the systems needed to facilitate the role of the NP to be implemented in areas such as prescribing, signing of sick certificates, notification of infectious diseases and referral across the primary/secondary interface.
Actively and positively lobbying the DH and the NMC to regulate the title of nurse practitioner.
Producing an RCN guide to the nurse practitioner role (see Publications section). This document has been used as a key document in the current NMC consultation paper (see News section).
Working with higher education institutes to develop appropriate programmes for existing and potential nurse practitioners.
Developing a database of nurse practitioner programmes (undergraduate and postgraduate).

To continue to engage in debate relating to professional, educational and political issues surrounding the nurse practitioner role.
To maintain the momentum of lobbying relating to the NMC advanced practice consultation taking place this year and to continue to be actively involved in the process.