Trainee nursing associates

The Nursing Associate (NA) role is a new role being introduced in England to bridge the gap between registered nurses and health care support workers. The first test programmes began in early 2017, with approximately 2,000 trainee nursing associates (TNAs) commencing that year. The government announced another 5,000 TNAs will be trained in 2018 and 7,500 in 2019. The role is to be regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and it is expected that the first NAs will be regulated in early 2019.  

The pace of change to develop this programme and regulation is immense and the RCN is working closely with the NMC, Health Education England and test sites on this. A number of consultations are or have been conducted – please see the links below for details of RCN action and responses. 

The RCN welcomes TNAs as members and are considering how to develop this membership category and services for NAs on qualification. 

Forthcoming RCN consultation

We are expecting the NMC to consult on the standards, Code and guidance for nursing associates in spring. The RCN will consult with members regarding the proposals. We need to know what our members think so we can make a strong response to the NMC and continue to influence how the role is developed and implemented. Look out for an email containing a survey, or come along to one of the free workshops we shall be hosting.