Letter from Jenny Aston, outgoing forum Chair

Published: 24 September 2012

This  is  my  last  chair’s  letter  before  I  formally  step  down from the  ANP  committee after nine years. Here are some of my reflections.

My biggest regret is that we never achieved  ANP regulation despite the roller-coaster ride. I always hoped that we would, in the end, persuade the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence that there was, and still is, a need for it. All I can say is I have given it my best shot, been to every meeting possible, spoken and written to many people. It saddens me greatly that the NMC does not see the importance of protecting the public by regulating advanced practice.

However we do have the RCN ANP 2012 competences (updated from 2008), an RCN position  statement, a Department of Health position statement, an Advanced Practice Toolkit and many good ANP educationalists who deliver courses which prepare experienced nurses for the role.

We also have the support of all the other RCN forums. We have run events at the RCN and RCN Congress to keep up the momentum. However, the only way I believe we can achieve any standardisation will be through local education and training boards (LETB) who could develop ANP performer’s lists to ensure standards.

Another route is through working in collaboration with the medical royal colleges to develop agreed  training, competences and standards specific to the relevant College. I am hopeful that in my role at the Royal College of General Practitioners there will be opportunities to help address the issue of standards and training. I am working on a framework for general practice nursing which will include advanced practice. I would encourage those of you in general practice to consider joining the  General Practice Foundation to assist with advancing this case. Visit the General Practice Foundation website.

We have tried hard to influence decisions such as referrals and the signing of medical certificates.  This is something which I think we might achieve so I would encourage you to continue to lobby the Department for Work and Pensions individually and ask them to amend the current law which  restricts us from signing the “fit notes”.

The forum membership has grown to moer than 5,000 and now has members from across every  discipline of nursing, from intensive care to general  practice, including many other specialties.
I have had the privilege of attending many Congresses and conferences, both in the UK and across the world, all of which have broadened my understanding of advanced practice across the UK and  the globe. At the most recent ICN/APNN conference in London we were lucky enough to hear  Barbara Stilwell’s inspirational presentation about the essence of the nurse practitioner role.

Before I sign off, I will be assisting with the development of a patient prompt card for nurse  prescribers to encourage patients to take more responsibility for their own medicines. The aim being to improve patient safety, reduce waste and demonstrate the added value nurses can offer when carrying out medication reviews.

I have recently been asked to reflect on the nature of nursing which has made me think hard  about how we inspire the next generation of  nurses and ANPs. I am pleased to see that the RCN is launching a publicity campaign to try and address some of the recent negative press about nursing. 

I would like to suggest you all think about your journey to becoming a nurse and ANP and share  your story to inspire the next generation. Perhaps we could collect these stories together?

I will now leave the ANP Forum in the capable hands of the new Chair, Wendy Fairhurst, who I am sure many of you already know. I would like to take this opportunity to thank committee members  past and  present for all their support over the last nine years.