HCA and AP regulation and development are key Willis recommendations
Published: 27 November 2012
A major report on nursing education has called for regulation for health care assistants and assistant practitioners (HCAs and APs) as well as a meaningful career path for NHS staff in bands one to four or equivalent.
Lord Willis of Knaresborough was asked by the RCN to conduct an independent review of nursing education. As well as looking into issues around pre-registration nurse education, the report also gave a series of recommendations around the regulation and training of HCAs and APs.
From the outset Lord Willis highlighted the importance of good nursing education for everyone in the nursing profession.
He said: “Nursing education thrives when all staff, from medics to health care assistants, are constantly having their skills refreshed and updated – including the development of teamwork. We hope that policymakers, employers, universities and professional bodies recognise and act on this challenge.”
Lord Willis’s recommendations for HCAs and APs were:
- nurses should supervise and delegate work to “registered health care assistants” with clearly defined roles
- the numbers and roles of health care support workers who deliver patient care must be properly planned and regulated in the interests of patient safety and care quality
- all staff at Agenda for Change bands 3-4 (and their equivalents outside the NHS) who deliver care should be trained to NVQ level 3 as the minimum UK standard
- a planned programme of regulation should begin with the mandatory registration of all staff who deliver patient care at Agenda for Change bands 3-4 (and their equivalents outside the NHS) by an independent regulator
- governments, education institutions and employers must ... provide career pathways for health care support workers including those who wish to train as nurses or midwives.
Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, supported all the recommendations – and highlighted the importance of HCA and AP regulation.
Tanis Hand, RCN HCA and AP Adviser, said: “I am delighted that Lord Willis has recognised the important roles played by HCAs and APs and has looked at education across the whole of the nursing team.
“We know that while many HCAs and APs are well educated and supported, there are also many that do not have access to appropriate training, and this has been raised in the report. The RCN has been campaigning for the regulation of all HCSWs and it is essential that our HCAs and APs are considered when planning the workforce.
“If organisations can get the skill mix right, and train their HCAs and APs for the roles that they will be performing, it will ensure that registered nurses will have more confidence in delegating effectively and this will ultimately improve patient care.”
Visit the Willis Commission website.